Division  jj  , ) 4 

Section  , |A  6 4 7 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/wanderingsinbibl00mill_0 


Gathering  Dates 
from  the  Palm, 


'Boat  Load  of  Water 


Making  Rope»l 


WANDERINGS 


- - IN  - - 

BIBLE  LANDS: 


NOTES  OF  TRAVEL 

In  Italy,  Greece,  Asia-Minor,  Egypt,  Nubia, 
Ethiopia,  Cush,  and  Palestine, 


By  D.  L.  MILLER, 


Author  of  “Europe  and  Bible  Lands.” 


Mount  Morris,  III.: 

THE  BRETHREN'S  PUBLISHING  COMPANY, 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893,  by 
D.  L.  MILLER, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  ( 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


•5'~e<|yr 


CHAPTER  I. 

New  York  to  Rome. — Crossing  the  Atlantic. — A Death  at  Sea. — The  Rock  of  Gibral- 
tar.— Genoa,  the  Home  of  Columbus. — Pisa,  its  Leaning  Tower  and  Baptistry.  . n 

CHAPTER  II. 

Rome  the  Eternal  City.— The  Coliseum.— Christian  Martyrs.  — Catacombs. — The 
Sleeping  Places  of  the  Dead.— Inscriptions. — The  Fossor.— Decorations 30 

CHAPTER  III. 

Paul  in  Italy  and  Rome. — Puteoli. — Appii  Forum  and  the  Three  Taverns. — The  Ap- 
pianWay 51 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Arch  of  Titus.— The  Golden  Candlestick  and  Table  of  Showbread. — St  Peter's 
Cathedral. — The  Bronze  Statue. — St.  Paul’s  Church. — The  Portrait  of  our  Lord  . 67 

CHAPTER  V. 

From  Rome  to  Naples. — Mount  Vesuvius. — An  Eruption 86 

CHAPTER  VI. 

From  Europe  to  Africa. — Last  View  of  Vesuvius. — Stromboli. — Port  Said. — The  Suez 
Canal.— Ismailia.— Cairo. — Street  Scenes. — Water-carriers 10; 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Pyramid  of  Cheops.— Climbing  the  Great  Pyramid. — View  from  the  Top. — The 
Interior.— Grand  Gallery.— The  King's  Chamber.— The  Queen’s  Chamber. — The 
Sphinx. — The  Granite  Temple 119 

CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  Nile. — The  Sakkieh  and  Shaduf.— Memphis,  the  Noph  of  the  Bible. — Sakkara. — 

The  Tombs. — Embalming  the  Dead.— The  Serapeum.— The  Temple  of  Tih. — 

The  Step  Pyramid.— Our  Southward  Way 142 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Nile  Scenes. — Our  Pilot. — The  Natives  and  their  Villages. — Death  and  Burial. — The 
School  and  the  Schoolmaster.— The  Doom  Palm.— The  Papyrus  Reed. — Fulfill- 
ment of  Prophecy 164 

CHAPTER  X. 

■ emples  and  Tombs.— Beni  Hassan.— Immortality  of  the  Soul.— Embalming.— Jacob 
and  Joseph  Embalmed.— An  Ancient  Funeral  Procession.— Rock-cut  Tombs  at 
Beni  Hassan. — The  Chamber  of  the  Dead. — The  Tomb  of  Ameni. — Allusion  to 
the  Famine • • 180 

CHAPTER  XI. 

An  Egyptian  Sugar  Factory.— Coptic  Convent. — Tell  el  Amarna. — The  Tablets,  Let- 
ters from  Adonizedek  King  of  Jerusalem.— The  Hebrew  Invasion  of  Palestine. — 
Wonderful  Testimony  of  the  Truth  of  the  Bible. — Tell  el  Hesy  Tablets  . . . 192 


IV 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A Simoon.— Abydos.— List  of  the  Kings  of  Egypt.— Thebes.— The  Ruined  Temples 
of  Luxor. — Shishak  and  his  Captives. — Rehoboam.— The  Colossi.— The  Valley  of 
the  Dead. — The/Tombs  of  the  Kings 211 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Pharaoh  of  the  Oppression.— Finding  his  Body.— The  Arab  Brothers. — Photo- 
graphs of  Seti  I and  Rameses  II. — Unwrapping  the  Mummies. — Grave  Robbers. 

— Isaiah  and  Seti  I.— A Visit  to  Ahmed  Abd  er-Rasul 231 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus.— His  Succession  to  the  Throne.— His  Troublous  Reign. 

— His  Son  Seti  Menephthah  made  Regent.— The  Testimony  of  the  Monuments. — 
The  Death  of  the  Firstborn.— The  Fleeing  Israelites.— Pharaoh’s  Pursuit. — The 
Destruction  of  his  Host 252 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Farewell  to  Thebes.— The  Temples  at  Esneh  and  Edfou. — Assuan  and  the  First  Cat- 
aract.— The  Granite  Quarries.— The  Market-place. — The  Bisharin. — Camel  Rid- 
ing.— The  Tropic  of  Cancer. — Persistent  Merchants. — The  Nilometer. — A Quiet 
Ride  on  the  Desert.— The  Famine  of  the  Bible 266 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Oonas. — Our  Party  for  the  Second  Cataract. — Abyssinian  Soldiers.— The  Der- 
vishes.— The  Land  of  Cush.— The  Nubians.— Curious  Fashions  and  Customs. — 
Making  Dough  for  Bread.— The  Sacred  Crocodile.— Kalabshi  and  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer. — Dekkeh. — Our  Boat  Aground. — Korosko. — General  Gordon 282 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Rameses  the  Great  Builder.— Abou  Simbel.— The  Colossi.— The  Great  Temple.— An 
Immense  Picture.  — Sunset  on  the  Mountains.  — The  Southern  Cross.  — The 
Smaller  Temple. — Pharaoh  and  his  Queen. — The  Battle  with  the  Hittites  ....  300 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

From  Abou  Simbel  to  the  Second  Cataract.— A Figure  of  Christ.— Wady  Haifa.— 
Warlike  Appearances.— Women  Veiling  their  Faces. — Contrast  Between  Virtue 
and  Vice. — Beyond  the  Cataract.— Homeward  Bound.— Egypt  and  the  Prophets. 
—The  Potter  at  his  Wheel. — Cairo  again.  317 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Coptic  Church.— The  Banished  Patriarch.— An  Interview  with  his  Representa- 
tive.—The  Doctrines  of  the  Coptic  Faith.— Trine  Immersion  and  Feet-washing. 

— Innovations.— A Church  Difficulty.— Heliopolis.— An  Ancient  Sycamore  Tree. 
—The  Lone  Obelisk.— The  Fulfillment  of  Prophecy.— Lack  of  Bible  Knowledge.  331 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Mohammedan  Religion.— The  Koran  and  the  Bible  Compared.— The  Doctrines 
of  Islamism. — ' The  Belief  in  Paradise  and  in  Hell.— Hours  of  Prayer.— The  Der- 
vishes. — Degradation  of  Women.  — The  Mohammedan  University  at  Cairo.— 
Self-denial  of  Teachers  and  Students.— The  Koran  the  Text-book.— Intellectual 
Condition  of  the  Moslems 343 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


V 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Land  of  Goshen.— Oppression  of  the  Israelites. — The  Buried  Cities  of  Egypt. — 
Pithorn  and  the  Bricks  made  by  the  Hebrews.  — Bricks  without  Straw. — Tah- 
panhes  and  Jeremiah  the  Prophet. — The  Daughters  of  Zedekiah. — The  Stones 
hid  in  the  Brick  Work. — Zoan. — The  Burned  Papyrus. — Great  Statue  of  Raine- 
ses 1 1 361 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Land  of  Goshen.— The  Sakkieh. — The  Boundaries  of  Goshen.— The  Rich,  Fer- 
tile Soil.— The  Israelites  and  their  Murmuring. — A long  Donkey  Ride. — Raising 
Water  with  the  Basket. — A Village  Market.— Lost  on  the  Desert. — The  Beduin 
Sheik.— Wading  in  Mud  and  Water.— The  Donkey-boys.— Achmet  Ali  our  Drag- 
oman.—A Sorrowful  Man 384 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  American  Mission  in  Egypt. — A Funeral  and  a Wedding. — The  Sakka. — Cairo 
to  Alexandria. — The  Delta. — The  Arms  of  the  Nile. — The  Fair  at  Tanta. — Alex- 
andria.— The  Septuagint. — The  Introduction  of  Christianity. — The  First  Chris- 
tian School.— A great  Library  and  its  Destruction. — The  Modern  City.— Cata- 
combs.—Pompey’s  Pillar 404 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Farewell  to  Cairo. — The  Land  of  Goshen  Again. — A Dusty  Ride  across  the  Desert. 

— Suez. — The  Red  Sea. — An  Excursion  to  the  Wells  of  Moses. — Israel’s  Song  of 
Deliverance.— The  Waters  of  Marah.— The  Murmuring  Host. — A Beautiful  Oa- 
sis in  the  Desert.— The  Corals  of  the  Red  Sea 419 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Route  of  the  Exodus.— Crossing  the  Red  Sea. — Various  Opinions  as  to  the 
Place.— The  Sinaitic  Peninsula. — The  Beduins  and  their  Customs. — The  Mur- 
muring Israelites. — The  Sinaitic  Mountains. — The  Mount  of  Moses. — The  Plain 
of  Assemblage.— Ras  Sufsafeh,  the  Pulpit  of  the  Law.— The  Convent.— Tischen- 
dorf’s  Great  Discovery. — A Happy  Theologian 43; 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Leaving  Suez.— Journeying  to  the  Land  of  Canaan.— On  the  Canal  Again.— Farewell 
to  Egypt.  — A Comforting  Prophecy.— Jaffa.— Dangerous  Landing. — Our  Old 
Dragoman.— Suleiman  the  Boatman. — A Sample  of  Turkish  Justice. — Improve- 
ments at  Jaffa.— The  Landing-place. — The  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway.— Com- 
merce.—House  of  Simon  the  Tanner.— Praying  on  the  Housetop.— Flat  Roofs.— 
Breaking  up  the  Roof.  — Continued  Dropping  on  a Rainy  Day.  — The  Grass  on 


the  Housetop  and  a Wasted  Life.— Dorcas. — The  Tanneries.  — Wrecked  Ships. 

— The  Market-place. — The  Blind 462 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

From  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem.—"  Blest  Land  of  Judea.”  — Sentiment  Destroyed.  —Shar- 
on's Plain.  — Plowing.  — Lydda.  — The  Healing  of  Aeneas.— Ramleh. — A rich 
Land.  — The  Home  of  Samson.  — The  Foxes.  — Mountain  Scenery.  — Terraced 
Hills.  — The  Shepherd  and  his  Flock.  — The  Valley  of  Roses.  — The  Plain  of 
Rephaim.— The  Defeat  of  the  Philistines.— Jerusalem.— A Contrast 


VI 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Jerusalem  from  Mount  of  Olives. — Walks  about  the  Holy  City.— The  Jaffa  Gate. — 
Scriptural  Allusions. — Abraham.— Boaz.— Slaying  of  Abner  in  the  Gate.— Eli. — 
Absalom’s  Rebellion.— David’s  Great  Sorrow. — The  Gate  a Symbol  of  Power.— 
Our  Beggars.— Street  Scene  in  Jerusalem.— The  Minaret. — Praying  Moslems.— 

A Mixed  Multitude. — Lentiles. — Wine  and  Water  Bottles. — The  Milk  Seller.  . . 505 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A Quiet  Lord’s  Day. — The  Last  Supper.— Gethsemane. — Mount  of  Olives. — Medita- 
tion.— David’s  Sorrow.— Solomon’s  Builders. — Captivity. — The  Triumphant  En- 
try into  Jerusalem. — The  Agony. — The  Shadow  of  the  Cross. — Abide  with  Me.  . 525 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

“ O Jerusalem,  Jerusalem.”— The  Desolation  of  Palestine.— A View  from  the  Top 
of  Olivet. — The  Bright  Arab  Boy. — The  Olives. — Bethany. — The  Death  and 
Resurrection  of  Lazarus. — A Cloud  not  Larger  than  a Man’s  Hand 541 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Peculiar  People.— The  Jews  a Persecuted  Race.— Their  Hopes  of  the  Future. — The 
Place  of  Wailing.— The  Spoffords. — An  Interesting  Story.— Shipwreck.— Waiting 
for  the  Coming  of  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem. — Prophecy.— The  New  City. — The 
Tombs. — The  Ash  Heap.— Wine  Press. — Vineyards . t 558 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem.— An  Interesting  Interview. — Baptism.— Feet-washing. — 
The  Division  between  Greeks  and  Latins.— Teaching  of  the  Greek  Church.— 
Number  of  Communicants 574 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Homeward  Bound.— Down  to  Jaffa.— The  Last  View  of  Canaan.— Mt.  Carmel.— Eli- 
jah and  Elisha. — Tyre  and  Sidon.— Antioch.— Tarsus. — Smyrna,  and  the  Seven 
Churches  of  Asia. — Greece.— Athens.— Corinth. — Patros. — Rome  Again.— Sailing 
from  Genoa.— A Hurricane.— New  York 584 


PREFACE. 


flNE  years  ago,  with  a considerable  degree  of  reluc- 
tance, the  author  was  induced  to  publish  a book 
of  travels  bearing  the  title,  “ Europe  and  Bible 
Lands.”  The  work  was  received  with  so  much  favor 
that  eleven  editions  were  printed  to  meet  the  demand 
for  it.  From  the  many  kind  words  written  and  spoken 
in  regard  to  the  book  the  author  has  been  led  to  believe 
that  some  good  resulted  from  its  publication. 

And  now,  after  the  lapse  of  almost  a half  score  of 
years,  another  journey  has  been  made  to  the  Lands  of 
the  Bible,  another  series  of  letters  has  been  written  and 
another  book  is  to  be  sent  out  on  its  mission.  The 
question  as  to  the  good  to  be  accomplished  by  a work 
of  this  kind  has  been  anxiously  considered  by  the  writer. 
If  no  good  is  to  come  to  humanity  from  it,  then  the 
time  spent  in  travel  and  writing  has  been  wasted. 

What  if  I have  wandered  through  the  ruined  halls 
of  Karnac  and  Luxor,  gone  down  into  the  Egyptian 
darkness  of  the  Tombs  of  the  Pharaohs,  seen  the  first 
rays  of  the  rising  sun  touch  the  statues  of  Rameses  at 
Abou  Simbel,  and  watched  the  stream  of  time  from  the 
top  of  the  Great  Pyramids?  What  if  I have  crossed  the 
Land  of  Goshen  and  followed  the  fleeing  Israelites  across 
desert  and  sea  and  stood  where  Miriam  sang  the  glad 
song  of  deliverance?  What  if  I have  visited  and  revis- 
ited the  Holy  City,  walked  in  the  courts  of  Solomon’s 
Temple,  knelt  beneath  the  olive  trees  in  Gethsemane, 
looked  upon  the  tombs  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 

vji 


Vlll 


PREFACE. 


drunk  from  the  Prophet's  Fountain  at  Jericho,  bathed  in 
the  pure  water  of  Galilee,  and  wandered  through  all  the 
Land  of  Promise?  What  if  all  this  has  been  done? 
Surely  the  time  has  been  wasted  if  no  good  to  the 
church  and  to  humanity  is  to  come  from  it.  But  it  is 
hoped  that  some  good  may  result  from  these  labors. 

The  object  sought  in  sending  out  this  volume  is 
to  awaken  a deeper  interest  in  the  study  of  the  Bible 
and  make  our  faith  in  the  Word  of  God  stronger.  The 
Lands  of  the  Bible  are  teeming  with  evidences  of  the 
truth  of  the  Book  of  God.  Almost  daily  the  pickaxe  of 
the  excavator  is  revealing  the  records  of  the  past,  and 
infidelity  is  receiving  its  strongest  blows  from  this  source. 
A record  of  all  the  recent  discoveries  bearing  upon  the 
Bible  story  would  fill  many  volumes:  only  the  more  im- 
portant find  place  here. 

Elder  Joseph  Lahman,  of  Illinois,  accompanied  the 
writer  on  the  journey  to  Egypt  and  the  desert.  He 
proved  himself  in  all  respects  to  be  a true  and  trusty 
friend,  a most  agreeable  and  pleasant  traveling  compan- 
ion and  a helpful  associate.  The  plural  form  of  the 
pronoun  is  used  because  the  Elder  was  my  inseparable 
companion. 

The  author  does  not  lay  claim  to  scholarship  or  lit- 
erary training.  Such  as  he  has  he  gives.  The  critic 
will  find  errors  in  composition,  but  the  statements  made 
have  been  carefully  examined  and  verified,  and  may  be 
depended  upon  as  being  correct. 

The  following  excellent  works  have  been  consulted 
and  used  in  the  preparation  of  this  work,  and  obligation 
to  the  various  authors  is  acknowledged: 

“St.  Paul’s  P'ootsteps  in  Rome,”  Forbes;  “The  Cata- 
combs,” Forbes;  “The  Roman  Catacombs,”  Northcote; 


PREFACE. 


IX 


“ Pompeii,”  Rolfe;  “ Italy,  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,” 
Baedeker;  “Through  Bible  Lands,”  Schaff;  “The  Nile,” 
Budge;  “A  Thousand  Miles  up  the  Nile,”  Edwards; 
“ Egypt  To-day,”  Roc;  “Ten  Years  Digging  in  Egypt,” 
Petrie;  “ Monuments  of  Upper  Egypt,”  Mariette  Bey; 
"The  Tell  Amarna  Tablets,”  Conder;  “Ancient  Egypt,” 
Maspcro;  “Egypt  Under  the  Pharaohs,”  Brugsch;  “The 
Land  of  the  Pharaohs,”  Manning;  “ History  of  Ancient 
Egypt,”  Rawlinson;  “ Biblical  Researches,”  Robinson; 
“Boat  Life  in  Egypt  and  Nubia,”  Prime;  “The  Ancient 
Egyptian,”  Wilkinson;  “Eastern  Life,”  Martineau;  “The 
Great  Pyramid,”  Ford;  “A  Miracle  in  Stone,”  Seiss; 
“The  Pharaohs  of  the  Bondage  and  Exodus,”  Rob- 
inson; “Pharaoh  to  Fellah,”  Bell;  “The  Land  and  the 
Book,”  Thomson;  “Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway,”  Dr. 
Merrill;  also  to  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  London,  for 
illustrations.  He  is  also  under  special  obligations  to 
Grant  Mahan,  of  Mt.  Morris  College,  for  valuable  as- 
sistance in  proof  reading  and  in  preparing  copy  for  the 
press,  and  to  L.  A.  Plate  for  assistance  in  proof  reading. 

In  sending  this  volume  out,  the  author  expresses  the 
hope  that,  under  God’s  blessing,  some  good  may  result 
from  its  publication.  If  any  one  is  led  to  read  and  ex- 
amine the  Bible,  and  is  thus  brought  into  a closer  com- 
munion with  the  Book  of  books,  we  shall  feel  that  our 
long  and  fatiguing  journey  and  the  many  weary  hours 
spent  over  these  letters  were  time  and  labor  not  spent 
in  vain. 


Mount  Morris,  Illinois,  January  /,  iSqj. 


List  of  Illustrations 


Scenes  in  Egypt Frontispiece 

♦Interior  of  the  Catacombs 37 

Entrance  to  one  of  the  Catacombs  . . 42 
A Gallery  in  one  of  the  Catacombs  . . 43 
Side  View  of  an  Ancient  Sarcophagus  . 46 

A Crypt  in  the  Catacombs 48 

The  Good  Shepherd 49 

Representation  of  Loaves  and  Fishes  . 50 
Puteoli.  Paul’s  Landing-place  in  Italy  53 

Arch  of  Drusus 55 

Nero  and  Poppaea  his  wife 59 

Circus  of  Nero,  from  a Coin 62 

Portrait  of  Paul  on  a Glass  Vase  ...  62 

♦Columbaria  in  Rome 63 

An  Inscription  in  the  Catacombs  ...  65 
♦Arch  of  Titus,  Showing  Golden  Can- 
dlestick and  Table  of  Showbread  . 69 

♦Portrait  of  our  Savior 77 

♦An  Excavated  Street  in  Pompeii  . . . 91 
♦Cast  from  Mould  of  Human  Figure  . 95 

fGeneral  View  of  Cairo 112 

fAn  Egyptian  Donkey  Boy 116 

The  Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx  ....  121 

Climbing  the  Great  Pyramid 129 

Diagram  of  the  Great  Pyramid  . . . . 131 

The  Grand  Gallery 134 

The  Sphinx  from  the  Northeast  ....  137 
The  Granite  Temple,  the  Sphinx  and 

the  Great  Pyramid 139 

Map  of  Egypt 140 

Map  of  Upper  Egypt  and  Nubia  . . . 141 

♦The  Shaduf 147 

♦Statue  of  Raineses  II 15; 

Interior  of  Serapeum  at  Sakkara  . . .159 
The  Step  Pyramid  at  Sakkara  ....  162 

♦Our  Pilot  on  the  Nile 165 

♦Egyptian  Women  with  Water  Jars  . . 175 
Ruins  of  an  Ancient  Temple  in  Egypt  . 181 

Embalming 184 

Tell  el  Hesy  Tablet  (Front) 203 

Tell  el  Hesy  Tablet  (Back) 204 

tMoney-Changcr  at  Assiut 207 

fSand-Storm  in  the  Desert 211 

Defaced  Wall  Sculpture 212 

Cartouches  of  the  Pharaohs 214 

The  Great  Hall  at  Karnac 216 

A Portion  of  the  Temple  at  Karnac  . . 219 
Shishak  with  Jewish  Captives 222 


♦Full-Page  Half-Tone  Engravings. 


Entrance  to  the  Empty  Tomb  of  Seti  I 223 
♦Entrance  to  the  Kings’  Tombs  at 


Thebes 227 

Head  of  Rameses  II 233 

The  Mummy  Head  of  Seti  I 237 

Mummy  Head  of  Pharaoh 239 

Abd  er-Rasul,  Brugsch  Bey,  and  Mas- 

pero 240 

The  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus 236 

Outline  of  Statue  of  Menephthah  . . .238 
Interior  of  the  Temple  at  Esneh  ...  267 

View  of  the  Temple  at  Edfou 270 

fThe  Island  of  Philae 278 

Crocodiles  on  the  Upper  Nile 291 

Nubian  Mud  Huts 296 

The  Nile  Above  the  First  Cataract  . . 298 

Front  of  Rock-cut  Temple 301 

Rameses  II  slaying  his  Captives  . . .305 

Group  of  Pharaoh’s  Prisoners 307 

Face  of  Smaller  Temple 310 

Head  of  Queen  Nefertari 312 

Street  in  one  of  the  Villages  of  Thebes  326 
fPortico  of  the  Temple  of  Denderah  . 327 

A Coptic  Woman 335 

♦The  Obelisk  at  On 339 

JVilla  and  Garden  near  Cairo 342 

♦The  Howling  Dervishes 333 

Group  of  Students  and  Teachers  . . . 358 
Visit  of  Semitic  Family  to  Egypt  . . .362 
Foreign  Captives  Making  Brick  ....  370 

fThe  Ruins  of  Tanis 380 

♦The  Sakkieh 385 

The  Egyptian  Ibis 393 

♦Raising  Water  with  a Basket 397 

♦The  Sakka,  Egyptian  Water  Carrier  . 407 

♦The  Wells  of  Moses 429 

Jebel  Musa,  Mount  ol  Moses 450 

Er-Rahah  and  Mount  Sufsafeh  . . . .455 

♦A  View  on  the  Suez  Canal 463 

♦The  House  of  Simon  the  Tanner  . . . 479 

Map  of  Palestine 489 

♦Jerusalem  from  the  Mount  of  Olives  . 507 

♦Street  View  in  Jerusalem 515 

♦Mount  of  Olives  from  Golden  Gate  . . 529 

♦New  Greek  Church  on  Olivet 543 

♦The  Jews’  Wailing  Place 561 

A Greek  Priest 573 


10 


JFacing  Pages  as  indicated. 


CHAPTER  I. 


New  York  to  Rome. — Crossing  the  Atlantic. — A Death  at  Sea. — The 
Rock  of  Gibraltar.— Genoa,  the  Home  of  Columbus.  — Pisa,  its 
Leaning  Tower  and  Baptistry. 


1892,  in  company  with  our 


^ traveling  companion,  who  shall  be  known  as  the 


Elder,  we  are  on  board  the  steamer  Kaiser  Wilhelm 
II,  at  the  harbor  in  the  City  of  New  York,  ready  to  set  sail 
for  the  Old  World.  Ten  days  hence,  if  our  voyage  be 
prospered,  we  shall  cast  anchor  off  the  rocks  of  Gibraltar, 
and  two  days  later  shall  land  at  Genoa,  Italy.  A short  time 
spent  in  Rome,  a visit  to  Naples,  Pompeii,  Herculaneum 
and  Vesuvius,  and  we  take  ship  for  Alexandria,  Egypt. 
The  winter  will  be  spent  on  the  Nile,  the  desert,  and  at  Je- 
rusalem. The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  are  also  in  the  line 
of  our  travels,  and  we  hope  to  travel  extensively  in  the 
lands  of  the  Bible  before  our  return.  Some  months  ago 
our  wanderings  in  the  Old  World  were  interrupted  by  ill- 
ness and  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  in  some  of  the  coun- 
tries we  desired  to  visit.  We  turned  our  faces  homeward, 
saying  that  if  the  way  opened  in  the  future  we  should  go 
on  with  our  work  and  try  to  finish  it,  the  Lord  so  directing. 
So  far  as  we  can  see  with  our  limited  vision,  the  way  seems 
to  be  open,  and  we  start  upon  our  mission,  trusting  in  God 
for  the  result.  How  much  we  shall  be  able  to  accomplish 
is  known  only  to  him  into  whose  hands  we  commit  all  our 


ways. 


II 


12 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


My  dear  wife,  who  has  hitherto  been  my  ever-constant 
companion,  remains  at  home.  Those  who  have  felt  the 
bitter  pang  of  separation  will  know,  others  can  only  vague- 
ly imagine  what  this  journey  means  to  both  of  us.  With 
a brave  heart  she  said,  “ Go,  for  it  seems  to  be  best  that  I 
remain  at  home.”  And  to-day,  as  I sail  out  upon  the 
broad  Atlantic,  I realize  that  there  are  lonely,  aching  hearts 
at  home.  God  be  with  them  all  until  we  shall  meet  again. 

The  charm  of  travel,  it  has  been  said,  is  in  prospect  and 
retrospect.  In  the  actual  experience  there  are  many  things 
that  are  far  from  being  pleasant.  Separation  from  home 
and  friends,  danger  and  fatigue,  with  many  vexations  and 
annoyances,  fall  to  the  lot  of  all  travelers.  When  the  jour- 
ney has  been  made  and  the  traveler  is  safe  at  home  again, 
the  vexations  are  forgotten  and  it  is  pleasant  to  look  back 
and  recall  the  enjoyable  part  of  the  trip.  But  as  we  write 
our  ship  is  out  at  sea,  and  we  bid  farewell  to  home  and 
country. 

Sea  voyages  have  been  described  again  and  again,  and 
descriptions  will  continue  to  multiply  until  there  shall  be 
no  more  sea.  The  great,  restless  ocean,  bearing  upon  its 
bosom  the  navies  and  the  commerce  of  the  world,  has  al- 
ways had  an  absorbing  interest  for  humanity.  To  those 
who  stand  on  the  shore  and  listen  to  the  dying  murmurs  of 
the  waves  as  they  lose  themselves  on  the  sands  of  the 
beach,  it  has  a strange  fascination  that  is  always  strong, 
and  a deep  interest  that  is  ever  new.  To  those  who  go 
down  to  the  sea  in  great  ships,  there  is  an  added  concern. 
The  change  from  sunshine  to  clouds,  from  calm  to  storm,  is 
watched  with  wonderful  interest.  Then,  too,  there  is  al- 
ways present  with  the  traveler  a dim,  vague  sense  of  uncer- 
tainty as  to  what  the  sea  has  in  store  for  him.  Many  of 
the  works  of  the  Lord  and  the  wonders  of  the  deep  are  re- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


13 


vealed,  and  yet  how  many  mysteries  arc  buried  beneath  the 
blue  waves,  and  how  many  secrets  are  covered  by  the  rest- 
less waters,  never  to  be  revealed  until,  at  the  command  of 
him  who  holds  all  things  in  his  hands,  the  sea  shall  give  up 
her  dead. 

And  now  we  are  off  on  our  long  journey.  The  great 
ship  which  is  to  bear  us  hence  moves  out  of  her  dock, 
swings  around  upon  the  bosom  of  the  river,  glides  like  a 
thing  of  life  down  the  smooth  water  of  the  bay,  passing  the 
lower  forts,  bristling  with  cannon  for  the  defense  of  the 
principal  port  of  our  country,  and  we  are  out  upon  the 
broad  waters  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  We  stop  a moment  to 
drop  our  pilot,  and  the  last  connecting  link  with  country, 
homes  and  loved  ones  is  severed,  and  we  must  now  look  for 
news  from  home  on  the  other  shore.  In  twelve  days,  if  the 
Lord  prosper  our  voyage,  we  hope  to  cast  anchor  and  land 
at  Genoa,  Italy,  four  thousand,  three  hundred  miles  away. 

Sailing  out  upon  the  great  deep  on  this  cloudy  Novem- 
ber day,  we  wonder  what  the  sea  has  in  store  for  us.  Shall 
we  be  driven  hither  and  thither,  and  tossed  by  the  stormy 
wind?  Shall  we  reach  our  desired  haven  in  safety?  The 
sea  holds  her  own  secrets,  and  the  rippling  waves  whisper 
not  of  what  she  will  bring  to  the  wanderers,  but  hope  ever 
singing  in  the  heart  says,  “All  will  be  well.” 

Thoughts  like  these  doubtless  came  to  each  of  the  one 
hundred  and  five  cabin  passengers  on  board  the  Kaiser 
Wilhelm  as  we  stood  on  deck,  taking  a last  glimpse  of  our 
native  land.  In  that  company  stood  an  unseen  and  unwel- 
come form.  The  angel  of  death  brooded  over  the  ship  and 
marked  one  of  our  number  for  his  own.  Before  we  had 
been  at  sea  ten  hours  a young  man  who  had  said  farewell 
to  father  and  mother  at  the  dock  in  New  York  had  ended 
his  earthly  voyage.  He  had  been  sitting  in  one  of  the  deck 


14 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


rooms,  and  at  ten  o’clock  he  said:  “ I will  go  down  to  my 
room.”  When  he  reached  the  lower  deck  he  sank  down, 
and  before  the  ship’s  doctor  reached  him  he  was  dead. 
Heart  failure  and  hemorrhage  were  the  immediate  causes 
of  his  death.  The  sudden  and  unexpected  death  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  ship’s  company  and  this  was  increased 
when,  on  Sunday  morning,  it  was  announced  that  the  body 
would  be  buried  at  sea.  As  the  sun  sank  behind  the  west- 
ern clouds,  bathing  sea  and  sky  with  the  tints  of  red  and 
gold,  preparations  were  made  to  give  the  lifeless  form  to 
the  waves.  A platform  was  fastened  to  the  side  of  the 
ship,  and  all  the  arrangements  were  completed.  It  was  sad 
to  think  of  this  burial,  and  of  the  stricken  hearts  in  that 
far-away  New  England  home  when  the  news  of  the  death 
and  burial  of  their  only  son  should  reach  them.  At  the 
last  moment  the  efforts  of  some  of  the  passengers  were 
successful.  They  guaranteed  the  payment  of  all  ex- 
penses. The  body  was  embalmed  and  will  be  carried  to 
Genoa,  and  then  sent  back  to  New  York. 

This  act  of  loving-kindness  on  the  part  of  strangers 
makes  our  faith  in  humanity  stronger.  It  is  one  of  those 
acts,  so  wholly  unselfish  and  disinterested,  that  come  only 
from  a desire  to  obey  the  golden  rule,  and  it  shall  in  no 
wise  lose  its  reward.  And  so,  at  the  last  moment,  the  sea 
was  robbed  of  its  prey,  and  the  friends  at  home  will  have 
the  sorrowful  satisfaction  of  laying  the  body  of  their  boy  in 
the  family  tomb. 

He  was  the  only  child,  the  joy  of  a mother’s  heart,  the 
hope  of  a father’s  declining  years,  gone  never  to  return 
again.  In  that  home  father  and  mother  are  anxiously  wait- 
ing for  news  from  their  boy,  and  when  the  cable  flashes  the 
news  back  from  the  shores  of  Spain,  it  will  carry  a sad,  sad 
story;  for  to  them 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


15 


“The  wind  of  the  sea  is  the  waft  of  death, 

The  waves  are  singing  a song  of  woe; 

By  silent  river,  by  moaning  sea, 

Long  and  vain  shall  the  watching  be; 

Never  again  shall  the  sweet  voice  call, 

Never  the  white  hand  rise  and  fall!  ” 

We  turn  away  from  this  sad  picture  with  heartfelt 
sympathy  for  the  stricken  home.  But  the  sudden  appear- 
ance of  death  in  our  midst  left  upon  all  an  impression  that 
will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  Surely,  in  the  midst  of  life  we 
are  in  death! 

In  planning  our  present  trip  to  the  Bible  Lands,  we 
aimed  to  take  the  most  direct  route  from  New  York  to  Port 
Said,  Egypt.  Instead  of  going  to  Northern  Europe,  we 
took  a more  southerly  course  which  will  carry  us  by  the 
Azores  Islands  to  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar.  Heretofore  we 
have  landed  at  Bremen,  Germany,  fifty-two  degrees  North 
Latitude.  On  this  trip  we  shall  catch  our  first  glimpse  of 
the  Eastern  Continent  when  we  sight  Cape  St.  Vincent,  the 
southern  point  of  Portugal,  fifteen  degrees  south  of  Bre- 
men. 

Two  points  are  gained  in  taking  this  southern  route. 
We  gain  time.  We  are  anxious  to  spend  as  much  of  the 
winter  and  spring  in  Egypt  and  Palestine  as  possible.  The 
other  point,  not  so  important  but  not  to  be  overlooked,  is, 
that  by  taking  the  southern  route  we  escape  the  heavy  win- 
ter storms  of  the  North  Atlantic.  Having  had  an  experi- 
ence last  December  as  to  what  a winter  hurricane  on  the 
ocean  means,  we  have  no  desire  to  try  another.  Our  curi- 
osity in  that  direction  has  been  more  than  satisfied. 

At  this  writing,  Nov.  21,  having  been  at  sea  nine  days, 
we  can  say  that  our  anticipation  of  a pleasant  voyage  has 
thus  far  been  fully  realized.  The  weather  has  been  delight- 
fully pleasant.  Sunshine  and  clear  skies,  with  warm, 


1 6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


balmy  breezes  have  been  the  order  of  the  days  as  they  have 
gone  by.  It  has  been  altogether  one  of  the  finest  of  our 
five  Atlantic  voyages.  For  two  days  we  had  the  swells  of 
the  ocean,  caused  by  a great  storm  that  passed  north  of  us, 
and  we  were  literally  “rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep.” 
Judging  from  the  great,  heaving  swells  that  bore  down  up- 
on us,  the  storm  to  the  north  must  have  been  very  severe. 
We  were  glad  to  escape  with  only  two  days  of  rocking  and 
rolling. 

When  the  swells  were  heaviest,  we  were  standing  on 
deck,  looking  over  the  rail  at  the  dark  waters  below.  A 
number  of  passengers,  ladies  mostly,  were  sitting  in  steam- 
er chairs,  ranged  along  and  fastened  to  the  inner  and  upper 
side  of  the  deck.  The  chairs  are  made  on  the  principle 
of  an  invalid’s  extension  chair  so  that,  when  sitting  down, 
one  is  in  a half-reclining  posture.  The  passengers  were  en- 
joying the  refreshing  evening  breeze,  and  were  protected 
by  having  heavy  shawls  or  traveling  blankets  thrown  over 
the  lower  part  of  the  body.  Suddenly  a mighty  swell  bore 
down  upon  the  ship  and  she  rolled  over  until  the  deck 
stood  at  an  angle  of  at  least  forty-five  degrees.  As  a result 
the  luckless  passengers  slid  from  their  chairs  down  the  in- 
clined deck  and  piled  up  at  the  ship’s  railing.  A good 
deal  of  screaming  was  heard,  but  fortunately  no  one  was  in- 
jured. After  this  incident  the  deck  was  very  soon  de- 
serted. 

The  Elder  proves  to  be  a good  seaman,  having  suf- 
fered very  little  from  seasickness,  and  seems  to  enjoy  his 
first  ocean  voyage  quite  well.  Barring  the  sad  incident  re- 
ferred to  at  the  beginning  of  our  voyage,  our  journey 
has  been  as  pleasant  as  could  be  hoped  for  under  the 
circumstances.  We  thank  the  Lord  for  his  protecting  care 
over  us,  and  trust  to  him  for  a continuance  of  the  blessings 
which  we  have  thus  far  enjoyed. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


1 7 


To-day  we  cast  anchor  in  the  open  roadstead  off  the 
Rock  of  Gibraltar,  and  our  Atlantic  voyage  is  ended.  We 
have  a thousand  miles  or  less  to  sail  on  the  Mediterranean 
before  reaching  Genoa,  where  we  shall  land;  but  here  we 
pass  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  sail  upon  the  blue  waters 
of  the  “ Great  Sea.”  No  sooner  is  the  anchor  down  than 
our  ship  is  surrounded  by  small  boats,  laden  with  oranges, 
tangerines,  figs  and  other  semitropical  fruits,  and  the  vend- 
ers call  out,  in  a jargon  of  English,  Italian  and  Spanish,  the 
price  of  the  commodities  they  have  for  sale.  At  first  it  was 
a question  with  us  as  to  how  they  were  to  reach  the  passen- 
gers who  stood  twenty  feet  above  them  on  the  deck  of  the 
ship.  But  the  problem  was  soon  solved.  A rope  was 
thrown  up  to  and  caught  by  the  would-be  purchaser,  a bas- 
ket was  attached,  and  a means  of  communication  was  at 
once  established.  The  purchaser  put  his  money  into  the 
basket,  the  boatman  replaced  it  with  the  articles  desired, 
and  in  this  way  a brisk  trade  was  kept  up  for  several  hours. 

The  Rock  of  Gibraltar,  the  strongest  natural  fortress  in 
the  world,  is  an  immense  cliff,  composed  of  limestone, 
dense  gray  marble,  and  red  sandstone,  some  three  miles  in 
length,  one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  thirty  feet  high, 
and  about  six  miles  in  circumference.  It  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  English  in  1704,  and  since  then  England  has 
held  the  key  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  In  1779  France 
and  Spain  besieged  the  Rock,  and,  although  they  kept  up 
the  siege  four  years,  were  at  last  obliged  to  give  it  up. 
The  garrison  consists  of  five  thousand  men  in  time  of 
peace,  with  quarters  for  a hundred  thousand  when  necessity 
requires.  A constant  food  supply  for  five  years  is  stored 
away  on  the  Rock.  The  hillside  is  pierced  with  cave-like 
openings,  from  each  of  which  the  muzzle  of  a cannon  is 
faintly  discerned.  On  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain  is 


1 8 WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

a battery  of  one  hundred  ton  guns.  It  requires  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  of  powder  for  a single  charge  for 
each  of  these  monster  implements  of  death  and  destruc- 
tion. On  the  west  side  the  rock  stands  on  a narrow  pla- 
teau, and  on  this  and  the  sloping  hillside  the  town  of  Gib- 
raltar is  built.  To  the  east  the  cliffs  rise  like  giant  walls 
from  the  sea.  The  entire  aspect  of  the  place  is  that  of  sol  - 
itude and  inaccessibility.  It  stands  like  a huge  sentinel, 
keeping  everlasting  watch  over  the  waters  of  the  sea,  nat- 
ure’s own  impregnable  fortress. 

Hoisting  anchor,  we  sail  through  the  Straits  with  the 
guns  of  the  rock  frowning  down  upon  us.  To  the  south 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles  away  is  the  clearly-outlined  coast 
of  Africa,  where  the  Atlas  Mountains  raise  a natural  bul- 
wark against  the  sea.  Turning  the  point  of  the  rock  we 
have  the  coast  of  Spain  laid  out  in  panoramic  view  before 
us.  All  day  we  coast  along  these  beautiful  shores.  The 
snow-covered  heights  of  the  Sierras  glisten  like  great 
domes  of  silver  in  the  bright  sunlight.  The  sky  is  marvel- 
ously clear,  and  its  blue  tint  is  deepened  in  contrast  with 
the  darker  waters  of  the  sea.  A gentle  breeze,  warmed  by 
“Africa’s  burning  sand,”  is  borne  lazily  to  us  from  the 
south,  breaking  the  waters  into  myriads  of  ripples,  which 
sparkle  in  the  clear  light  of  the  sun,  as  if  the  diamonds  of 
the  world  were  set  in  the  crest  of  each  tiny  wavelet.  On 
such  a sea,  with  such  surroundings,  one  might  sail  on  for- 
ever, forgetting  the  storms  which  lash  the  waters  to  fury 
and  bring  swift  destruction  to  many  hapless  mariners.  But 
as  we  write  the  sun  drops  into  the  western  sea,  leaving  a 
pathway  of  glory  behind  him.  The  light  fades  away,  the 
hills  of  Spain  are  seen  only  in  dim  outline  as  the  darkness 
comes  down  over  land  and  sea,  and  our  day-dream  is 
ended. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


19 


Two  days  and  a half  we  sail  along  the  shores  of  Spain, 
France,  and  Italy;  the  sea  as  smooth  as  glass,  the  weather 
most  delightful,  and  then  we  cast  anchor  in  the  beautiful 
harbor  of  “ Genova  La  Superba,”  as  the  Italians  call  the 
City  of  Genoa.  The  boat  of  the  health  officer  comes 
alongside,  and,  upon  hearing  that  we  have  had  a death  on 
board,  the  officer  says  he  must  send  the  doctor  to  examine 
us  in  the  morning.  We  are  quarantined  for  the  night. 
They  remember  that  there  were  rumors  of  cholera  at  New 
York  and  are  extra  careful.  As  we  have  a clean  bill  of 
health  we  shall  land  early  in  the  morning. 

Before  leaving  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  which  has  been 
our  home  for  nearly  two  weeks,  let  us  look  about  us  and 
learn  something  of  our  floating  house.  Very  few  persons 
have  an  idea  of  the  cost  at  which  these  leviathan  steam- 
ships are  maintained.  Ships  of  the  class  of  the  Kaiser, 
Majestic  and  New  York  have  a capacity  for  carrying  two 
thousand  passengers.  In  other  words,  you  might  place  in 
one  of  these  great  ocean  steamers  the  entire  population  of 
a good-sized  country  town,  with  all  their  personal  effects, 
and  transport  them  very  comfortably  to  the  other  side  of 
the  ocean.  The  amount  of  food  required  to  feed  the  pas- 
sengers is  very  great.  The  steward  of  one  of  the  great 
lines  gives  the  following  statement  as  to  provisions: 

“If  I were  stocking  the  ship  I would  store  away  ten 
thousand  to  twelve  thousand  pounds  of  fresh  beef  just  as 
you  see  it  hanging  in  front  of  butcher  shops  in  Ameri- 
ca. Then  five  thousand  pounds  of  mutton  and  lamb — it 
all  comes  off  the  same  piece,  you  know — one  thousand 
pounds  of  corned  beef,  two  hundred  smoked  hams,  one 
thousand,  five  hundred  dressed  chickens  or  hens,  as  the 
case  might  be,  three  thousand  pounds  of  fish,  and  six  hun- 
dred pounds  of  bacon.  Now  we  come  to  the  delicacies,— 


20 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


big  sacks  of  smoked  tongues,  dried  beef,  dried  and  smoked 
fish,  salmon  and  halibut  principally.  Of  the  fresh  fruits  we 
take  thirty  thousand  pounds  of  tomatoes,  pears,  oranges, 
peaches,  bananas,  watermelons,  plums,  cherries,  grapes,  and 
all  other  dainties  which  may  be  found  in  any  strictly  first- 
class  hotel.  Now  come  the  tinned  (canned)  goods.  We 
have  enough  in  stock  always  to  furnish  a grocery  store  in 
a respectably-sized  town.  Several  tons  of  canned  sardines, 
potted  meats  of  all  description,  peaches,  apricots,  pears, 
apples,  Boston  baked  beans — in  fact,  everything  under  the 
sun  that  is  preserved  in  cans  can  be  found  in  my  store- 
room. Then  we  come  to  the  relishes,  sauces,  and  pickles 
of  all  descriptions,  besides  fresh  garden  roots,  such  as  cel- 
ery, radishes,  etc.  Thousands  of  pounds  of  coffee,  tea, 
chocolate,  and  cocoa,  together  with  other  beverages,  are 
consumed. 

“ I’m  not  through  yet.  We  can  use  up  three  car-loads 
of  potatoes,  beets,  parsnips,  carrots,  cabbages,  etc.  Now 
we  will  add  one  thousand  dozen  eggs,  twenty  barrels  of 
sugar,  more  or  less,  two  tons  of  butter,  half  a ton  of  lard, 
and  condensed  milk  enough  to  make  a pond  big  enough  to 
float  the  ship.  Barrel  after  barrel  of  flour  has  its  head 
knocked  in  on  the  trip,  and  there  are  numerous  other  small 
stores  which  are  indispensable.” 

It  costs  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to  propel  a large 
ocean  steamer  across  the  Atlantic.  This  sum  pays  the 
crew,  which  numbers  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  men, 
and  the  balance  goes  into  numerous  other  departments. 
From  the  captain  to  the  lowest  subordinate  every  one 
knows  his  place  and  everything  runs  like  clockwork.  The 
captain  is  supreme  in  command,  and  his  word  is  law.  But 
instead  of  being  a tyrant  he  is  usually  a genial,  kind- 
hearted  man.  Captain  Stormer  of  the  Kaiser  is  one  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


21 


these  kind-hearted  men.  He  has  unlimited  faith  in  his 
ship,  and  inspires  confidence  in  those  who  sail  with  him. 
He  is  kind  to  his  men  and  is  constantly  looking  after  the 
comfort  of  his  passengers. 

A visit  to  the  engine-room  and  stokehole  of  the  ship 
is  full  of  interest.  The  chief  engineer,  who  is  always  a 
well-informed  man,  is  ready  to  give  information.  He  tells 
us  that  “ a big  ship  burns  two  thousand,  five  hundred  tons 
of  coal  for  a round  trip.  It  requires  about  one-third  more 
of  American  bituminous  coal  to  cross  the  ocean  than  it 
does  when  Welsh  coal  is  used.  Different  makes  of  en- 
gines require  different  quantities  of  coal.  The  Majestic 
of  the  White  Star  line  runs  across  with  about  two  hundred 
tons  consumed  daily,  while  the  Etruria  of  the  Cunard 
line,  though  a smaller  and  slower  ship,  will  burn  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  tons.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the 
Cunard  company  burns  from  five  hundred  thousand  to  six 
hundred  thousand  tons  of  coal  yearly. 

“ The  engines  of  a steamship  under  full  steam  make 
sixty  to  eighty  revolutions  a minute,  four  thousand  and 
eight  hundred  an  hour,  and  a total  each  trip  of  about  seven 
hundred  thousand  revolutions.  Away  down  in  the  bowels 
of  a great  ship  the  stokers  work,  naked  to  the  waist,  and  so 
dirt-begrimed  with  soot,  coal  dust,  ashes,  and  perspiration 
that  they  look  like  natives  of  Africa.  It  may  look  easy  to 
shovel  coal,  but  it  is  a trade,  like  everything  else,  to  do  it 
right.  They  work  four  hours  on  and  eight  hours  off  in 
heat  which  ranges  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  degrees 
to  one  hundred  and  sixty  degrees  and  once  in  a while  high- 
er. The  stokers  are  the  firemen  who  shovel  the  coal  into 
the  furnaces,  and  it  keeps  them  busy  to  keep  the  fires  reg- 
ulated. Each  one  has  four  furnaces  to  look  after.  He  has 
to  keep  an  eye  on  his  coal  trimmers,  the  fire  boxes,  and  the 


22 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


steam  gauges.  At  the  end  of  a trip  they  are  pretty  badly 
used  up.  Legs  or  arms  sprained,  hide  knocked  off  by 
chunks  of  coal,  arms  scalded  by  steam  or  burned  with  ash- 
es and  clinkers  when  they  are  cleaning  out  the  fire-bars. 

“ Then  the  coal  trimmers  or  passers  have  a rough  time 
of  it  wheeling  coal  and  dumping  it  at  the  feet  of  the  stok- 
ers. It  requires  the  skill  of  an  acrobat  to  keep  his  feet 
with  the  ship  rolling  and  pitching,  and  many  a shin  is 
barked  and  an  arm  sprained  among  these  hard  working 
slaves.” 

Let  us  go  down  into  the  heart  of  the  ship  where  its 
motive  power  is  throbbing  and  pulsating  with  the  regular- 
ity of  the  human  organ.  Going  down  the  narrow,  steep, 
iron  stairways,  amidst  a great  confusion  of  machinery,  we 
stand  at  length  on  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  We  were 
never  so  strongly  impressed  with  the  meaning  of  the  word 
power,  as  applied  to  machinery,  as  when  we  stood  looking 
at  the  ponderous  engines,  every  stroke  of  which  represent- 
ed a power  equal  to  that  of  ten  thousand  horses.  We  crept 
through  a narrow  gallery,  with  the  machinery  in  motion  all 
around  us,  to  where  the  great  shaft,  running  from  the  cen- 
ter to  the  stern  of  the  ship,  to  which  the  propeller  is  at- 
tached, was  rotating  with  great  rapidity  and  with  the  regu- 
larity of  clockwork.  The  shaft  is  nearly  two  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  is  made  of  the  best  steel.  It  is  a difficult  matter  to 
manufacture  a steel  shaft  of  such  great  dimensions  without 
a flaw,  and  the  greatest  skill  is  required  to  produce  the  best 
results  in  shaft  casting.  We  notice  that  all  the  bearings  of 
the  shaft,  and  of  the  heavy  machinery,  in  addition  to  being 
well  oiled,  have  a constant  stream  of  cold  water  pouring  up- 
on them.  This  serves  to  keep  the  machinery  from  heating. 
A number  of  assistant  engineers  are  constantly  looking  at 
the  machinery,  all  parts  of  which  undergo  frequent  and 
careful  inspection. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


23 


From  the  engine-room  we  enter  the  boiler  rooms  where 
thirty-six  fierce  fires  render  the  air  stifling  hot,  and  it  seems 
almost  unendurable,  but  by  standing  near  the  great  venti- 
lating pipe  we  were  enabled  to  examine  the  place.  Six  im- 
mense double-end  boilers,  made  of  one  and  one-eighth  inch 
steel,  each  with  a capacity  of  nearly  two  thousand  horse 
power  and  heated  by  thirty-six  furnaces,  supply  the  motive 
power  to  the  engines.  Here  are  men  black  and  grimy, 
shoveling  coal  into  the  furnaces.  A full  supply  of  coal  for 
a voyage  is  taken  on  board  at  New  York,  and  this,  with  a 
surplus  of  three  hundred  tons  for  a case  of  necessity,  makes 
the  total  coal  supply  for  a passage  across  the  Atlantic  near- 
ly two  thousand  tons,  enough  to  supply  an  ordinary-sized 
village  with  fuel  for  an  entire  year.  A look  into  the  partly 
empty  coal  room  gave  us  a very  good  idea  of  the  great 
width  and  depth  of  the  ship.  A coal  bin  for  two  thousand, 
five  hundred  tons, — just  think  of  it!  Allowing  twenty  tons 
to  a car-load  it  would  take  more  than  four  trains  of  twenty- 
five  cars  each  to  move  the  coal  supply  of  the  Kaiser  for 
one  trip. 

Coming  up  from  the  depths  of  the  ship  we  were  glad 
to  breathe  the  fresh,  pure  sea  air  again.  But  we  were  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  in  the  very  heart  of  the  ship 
was  hidden  away  from  the  eyes  of  the  casual  observer  a 
force  great  enough  to  compass  the  almost  immediate  de- 
struction of  the  vessel.  The  explosion  of  a boiler  in  mid- 
ocean would  result  in  a lost  ship,  and  no  one  would  be  left 
to  tell  the  story.  The  thought  is  not  a pleasant  one,  and 
we  will  not  pursue  it  further,  but  it  is  certainly  one  of  the 
weak  points  in  naval  architecture. 

Disembarking  we  set  our  feet  on  the  shores  of  sunny 
Italy  and  enter  the  City  of  Genoa.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
important  cities  on  the  Mediterranean  and  has  a permanent 


24 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


population  of  two  hundred  and  ten  thousand.  It  is  beauti- 
fully situated  on  the  hills  around  about  the  bay  into  which 
more  than  sixteen  thousand  ships,  from  the  different  parts 
of  the  world,  enter  annually.  It  also  has  the  distinction  of 
having  been,  at  one  time,  the  home  of  Columbus,  the  dis- 
coverer of  America,  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of 
which  event  was  recently  celebrated  in  the  United  States. 
The  house  in  which  this  distinguished  navigator  lived  is 
pointed  out  to  travelers.  The  city  has  many  handsome 
houses  and  villas,  the  homes  of  the  Genoese  nobility,  which 
give  one  a very  good  idea  of  the  architecture  of  the  past 
centuries. 

We  spend  one  day  in  Genoa  before  going  on  to  Rome 
by  way  of  Pisa.  The  change  from  our  own  home  life  to 
that  of  Italy  is  a marked  one.  Language,  dress,  manners 
and  customs  are  all  so  entirely  different  from  what  we  are 
used  to  that  we  are  reminded  on  every  hand  that  we  are  in 
a foreign  land,  that  we  have  indeed  left  our  own  country 
and  are  in  the  Old  World.  It  is  not  entirely  new  to  the 
writer,  but  to  the  Elder  it  has  all  the  novelty  of  a first  ex- 
perience, which,  unfortunately,  we  can  fully  enjoy  only 
once  in  this  world. 

We  start  out  to  see  something  of  our  new  surround- 
ings, and  as  we  leave  the  door  of  our  hotel,  we  are  at  once 
accosted  by  several  of  the  natives,  who  have  picked  up  a 
smattering  of  the  English  and  are  anxious  to  serve  us  in 
the  capacity  of  guides  and  interpreters.  They  press  their 
claims  in  a mixture  of  English  and  Italian  which  is  wholly 
unintelligible  to  us.  One  who  speaks  English  fairly  well 
follows  us  a considerable  distance,  insisting  that  he  is  a 
good  “guida”  and  speaks  “ Inglese  vara  well.”  We  put 
together  part  of  what  he  said,  and  here  it  is  as  it  sounds  to 
us:  “ Me  speeka  vara  good  Inglese,  vara  good  guida,  Vill 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


25 


show  you  ze  palais  of  ze  great  Cristofo  Colombo;  vill  show 
you  zc  whole  Genovo;  only  four  francs.”  We  conclude  to 
risk  our  own  very  limited  knowledge  of  the  Italian,  and  so 
dismiss  our  would-be  guide  with  a polite  no  and  a wave  of 
the  hand. 

It  is  remarkable  how  well  one  can  get  along  in  a for- 
eign land  if  he  is  acquainted  with  but  a few  words  of  the 
language  spoken.  The  following  incident  will  illustrate 
this  point.  The  Elder  wanted  to  purchase  a trunk  strap. 
Passing  along  the  street  we  came  to  a shop  where  the  de- 
sired article  was  seen.  We  walked  in,  pointed  to  the  strap, 
and  said  to  the  shopkeeper,  “ Quanto”  (how  much)  ? He 
replied,  “ Trc  franco"  (three  francs).  We  paid  the  money, 
took  the  strap,  and  went  our  way.  Only  three  words  were 
used  in  this  transaction,  and  these  were  all  that  were  need- 
ed. How  many  words  we  waste  in  this  world!  Words  are 
valuable  only  as  they  express  ideas,  and  the  most  effective 
expression,  as  a rule,  comes  from  the  fewest  words,  paying 
due  deference  to  clearness.  Ministers  and  writers  make  a 
great  mistake  when  they  fill  in  with  words  instead  of  ideas, 
and  how  apt  we  are  to  fall  into  this  very  common  error! 
The  reason  is  not  hard  to  find:  ideas  are  scarce,  words  are 
plenty. 

The  Campo  Santo,  literally,  Holy  Field,  or  Camp  of 
the  Saints,  as  the  Genoese  call  their  cemetery,  is  one  of  the 
attractions  of  the  city.  The  name  is  beautiful  and  fitting 
when  applied  to  the  last  resting-place  of  the  people  of 
God,  but  as  this  is  the  one  great  burial-place  of  Genoa  we 
doubted  the  appropriateness  of  the  name. 

The  entire  ground  is  surrounded  by  a high  wall,  on  the 
inner  side  of  which  is  a double  row  of  corridors,  formed  by 
columns  which  support  the  arched  roof.  The  corridors 
are  wide  enough  for  double  rows  of  graves  and  open  out 


26 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


upon  the  cemetery  proper.  Judging  from  the  rich  and  lav- 
ish display  of  decorations,  only  the  wealthy  find  a resting- 
place  in  the  vaults  beneath  the  pavements  of  the  corridors. 
The  poor  are  laid  to  rest  in  the  ground  enclosed  by  the 
walls. 

The  most  profuse  display  in  sculptured  marble,  much 
of  it  in  bad  taste,  so  it  seemed  to  us,  adorns  the  corridors 
from  end  to  end.  It  is  placed  in  niches  in  the  wall  and  be- 
tween the  columns,  and  gives  the  interior  the  appearance 
of  great  galleries  of  sculpture.  A description  of  a single 
group  will  give  an  idea  of  the  realistic  character  of  the 
work  and  show  the  taste  displayed.  In  one  of  the  large 
circular  spaces  a large  sarcophagus  of  black  marble,  beauti- 
fully polished,  is  placed  on  a platform.  On  top  of  it 
stands  a life-size  figure  of  the  dead  husband  and  father,  cut 
from  pure  white  marble.  At  one  end  of  the  coffin  is  the 
kneeling  figure  of  the  wife  and  mother;  at  the  other  end 
that  of  a son,  a young  man  of  about  twenty  years.  Both 
are  life-size  and  lifelike.  Their  faces  are  the  very  pictures 
of  grief.  On  the  mother’s  eyelid  trembles  a tear-drop. 
Her  modern  dress,  with  her  widow’s  lace  cap  and  her  lace 
collar  are  all  exquisitely  cut  in  the  white  marble.  The  son 
is  represented  in  a fashionable  dress  suit;  his  left  hand, 
thrown  behind  him,  holds  his  round  derby  hat.  The  work 
was  done  by  a master  hand,  but  it  seemed  to  us  an  unseem- 
ly display,  and  the  details  of  the  dress,  so  carefully  worked 
out,  were  not  in  keeping  with  the  sorrow-stricken  faces. 

There  are  hundreds  of  pieces  of  statuary  of  a similar 
character  in  the  corridors,  some  of  which  are  even  more 
inharmonious  than  the  one  described.  Altogether  the 
Campo  Santo  of  Genoa  is  one  among  the  most  remarkable 
modern  cemeteries  in  Europe. 

From  Genoa  we  journey  to  Rome  by  railroad,  a dis- 
tance of  some  three  hundred  miles.  On  the  way  we  pass 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


2 7 


through  Pisa  where  we  stop  long  enough  to  visit  the  Lean- 
ing Tower  and  the  celebrated  Baptistry,  both  objects  of 
considerable  interest  to  travelers. 

The  baptistry  was  built  about  A.  D.  1150,  and  was  con- 
structed especially  for  the  administration  of  the  rite  of 
Christian  baptism.  The  building  is  circular  in  form  and  is 
built  entirely  of  marble.  It  is  one  hundred  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  a hundred  and  ninety  feet  to  the  top  of  the  conical- 
shaped dome  which  covers  it.  Below  it  is  surrounded  with 
fine  marble  columns  and  decorated  with  statuary.  In  the 
interior,  exactly  in  the  center  beneath  the  dome,  is  the  pool 
with  fonts  for  baptism.  The  pool  is  made  large  enough  for 
immersion,  and  deep  enough  to  immerse  the  candidate 
when  in  a kneeling  posture.  It  is  a fact  so  well  known  that 
we  need  scarcely  refer  to  it,  that,  until  about  the  beginning 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  Roman  church  followed  the 
commission  given  by  Christ,  and  baptized  by  trine  immer- 
sion. This  was  the  almost  universal  practice  up  to  the 
foregoing  date.  And  here,  in  this  old  baptistry  at  Pisa,  the 
rite  was  performed  in  that  way  until  the  change  was  made 
to  sprinkling  and  pouring. 

The  church  of  Rome  claims  the  right  to  make  changes 
of  this  kind  when,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Pope  and  his 
councilors,  it  is  proper  to  do  so.  In  1854  the  dogma  of  the 
immaculate  conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  promulgat- 
ed, and  in  1870  the  doctrine  of  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope 
was  made  an  article  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  Just  as 
these  new  doctrines  were  set  forth  by  the  authority  of  the 
Pope  and  the  council,  so  the  change  was  made  from  trine 
immersion  to  sprinkling  and  pouring.  Luther,  in  his  ref- 
ormation, made  an  effort  to  re-establish  trine  immersion, 
but  failed,  because  he  did  not  wholly  free  himself  from  the 
Roman  practice  of  sprinkling.  All  the  Protestant  churches 


28 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


that  practice  sprinkling  are  following  the  mandates  of 
Rome.  John  Wesley  recognized  this  and  preferred  to  bap- 
tize by  trine  immersion,  according  to  the  commission  given 
by  Christ.  In  proof  of  this  we  quote  as  follows:  “When 
Mr.  Wesley  baptized  adults,  professing  faith  in  Christ,  he 
chose  to  do  it  by  trine  immersion,  if  the  person  would  sub- 
mit to  it,  judging  this  to  be  the  apostolic  method  of  baptiz- 
ing.’’ (Moore’s  “Life  of  Wesley,”  Vol.  I,  p.  425.) 

The  pool  and  fonts  in  the  baptistry  at  Pisa  are  beauti- 
fully constructed  of  marble,  highly  polished  and  inlaid 
with  various  colored  stones.  It  is  an  octagon  in  shape,  and 
each  of  its  eight  sides  is  decorated  with  figures  in  bas- 
relief.  It  is  a fine  piece  of  work  and  shows  great  artistic 
taste  in  its  construction.  The  building  is  also  remarkable 
for  its  wonderful  echo.  The  attendant  sang  a few  notes  in 
a deep,  rich  tone,  and,  by  the  watch,  the  sound  was  heard 
twelve  seconds,  echoing  and  re-echoing  softer  and  softer, 
until  it  died  away  in  a whisper  in  the  top  of  the  lofty 
dome.  A pulpit,  constructed  in  the  eleventh  century, 
stands  at  one  side  of  the  baptistry.  It  is  also  of  marble, 
and  is  a fine  piece  of  work.  Owing  to  the  echo,  we  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  a difficult  place  in  which  to  preach 
a sermon. 

The  Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa,  about  which  every  school- 
boy has  read,  is,  in  its  way,  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world.  It  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet  high,  and 
its  inclination  is  thirteen  feet  from  the  perpendicular.  It 
is  ascended  by  a winding  stairway  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-four  steps.  We  climb  to  the  top  and  experience  a 
very  peculiar  sensation.  The  slant  is  a regular  one,  and  in 
walking  up  and  around  the  tower,  we  can  not  free  ourselves 
from  the  feeling  that  it  may  fall  over.  The  top  is  flat  and 
is  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing.  The  slant  is  quite 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


2Q 


marked  on  top,  and  very  few  persons  care  to  walk  to  the 
lower  side  and  look  over.  A plumb,  dropped  from  this 
side  at  the  top,  would  strike  the  ground  thirteen  feet  from 
the  base  line  of  the  foundation.  Looking  over  the  railing 
at  the  lower  side,  the  sense  of  insecurity  is  so  strong  that 
we  start  back,  feeling  that  the  addition  of  our  weight  to 
the  overhanging  wall  may  cause  it  to  topple  over.  It  was 
here  that  Galileo  made  his  celebrated  experiments  regard- 
ing the  laws  of  gravitation. 

From  Pisa  to  Rome  we  journeyed  by  night,  reaching 
the  “Eternal  City”  at  midnight.  Our  first  day  in  Rome, 
Sunday,  Nov.  27,  was  partly  spent  in  trying  to  find  a 
church  where  we  might  hear  English  preaching.  VVe  se- 
cured a cab  and  driver, — cab  fares  are  very  cheap  here, 
twenty  cents  for  two  persons  for  a drive  anywhere  within 
the  city  walls, — and  gave  him  instructions  where  to  drive. 
After  a long  drive  he  stopped  and  pointed  to  a doorway. 
We  entered  and  found  a Baptist  church,  with  services  con- 
ducted in  Italian.  Of  course  we  were  disappointed.  We 
spent  several  hours  in  walking  through  the  winding  streets 
before  we  reached  our  hotel  again. 

Rome  and  its  Christian  Antiquities  will  be  the  subject 
of  several  letters  to  follow  this.  We  are  now  in  one  of  the 
cities  of  the  Bible.  Here  it  was  that  “ Paul  dwelt  two 
whole  years  in  his  own  hired  house,  and  received  all  that 
came  unto  him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teach- 
ing those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with 
all  confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him.”  Here  he  labored 
in  word  and  doctrine,  and  here  he  gave  his  life  to  the  cause 
of  Christ. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Rome  the  Eternal  City. — The  Coliseum. — Christian  Martyrs. — Cata- 
combs.— The  Sleeping  Places  of  the  Dead. — Inscriptions. — The  Fos- 
sor. — Decorations. 

T one  time  in  its  history  a visit  to  the  City  of  Rome 
was  considered  a great  event  in  the  lives  of  those 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  Eternal  City. 
This  idea  grew  into  a proverb,  “See  Rome  and 
die,”  which  would  indicate  that  after  seeing  the  City  of  the 
Caesars  nothing  else  in  this  world  would  be  worth  seeing. 
In  our  own  days  of  rapid  traveling,  when  we  may  girdle  the 
world  in  sixty  days,  a visit  to  Rome  has  but  little  more 
than  the  commonplace  in  it.  And  yet  for  those  who  come 
within  her  gates  not  for  pleasure,  but  to  read  the  history  of 
the  past,  she  has  wonderful  lessons  to  reveal.  It  is  to 
study  some  of  these  lessons  that  we  are  spending  some  time 
in  the  City  of  Seven  Hills. 

Rome,  once  the  proud  mistress  of  the  world,  occupies 
such  a vast  place  in  both  religious  and  political  history 
that  she  has  been  for  centuries  past,  and  for  years  to  come 
will  continue  to  be,  one  of  the  great  centres  of  the  world’s 
travel.  In  the  days  of  her  greatest  prosperity  and  power, 
under  the  first  Caesars,  it  was  said  that  “all  roads  lead  to 
Rome,”  and  the  golden  milestone  set  up  in  the  Forum  was 
the  centre  of  her  great  empire,  and  she  ruled  nearly  all  the 
known  world;  so  to-day  all  lines  of  travel  converge  in 
Rome. 

30 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


3i 


One  of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  the  great  mass  of 
people  who  visit  the  city  annually  is  the  great  church  of 
which  she  is  the  center.  Two  hundred  million  of  the 
earth’s  inhabitants  are  Roman  Catholics,  and,  no  matter 
what  we  may  think  or  believe  about  it,  every  one  of  them 
regards  his  spiritual  ruler  who  dwells  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tiber  in  the  great  Vatican  Palace  as  the  successor  of  Peter 
and  Christ’s  legal  representative  on  the  earth.  Holding 
this  faith,  but  few  of  those  who  are  able  to  do  so  fail  to  vis- 
it Rome  once  or  more  in  their  lifetime. 

But  we  are  not  so  much  interested  in  the  Rome  of  the 
present  as  in  the  Rome  of  the  past, — the  Rome  which  Paul 
knew,  the  Rome  which  ruled  the  world  when  Christ  was 
born.  And  where  shall  we  look  for  the  city  of  the  past? 
Not  in  the  life  and  bustle  of  the  modern  city,  but  amid  her 
own  mighty  ruins,  crumbling  to  the  dust  inch  by  inch  as 
the  years  roll  on.  We  wander  over  the  steps  of  broken 
thrones  and  shattered  altars,  w'e  plod  our  way  among  the 
prostrate  columns  of  marble  temples,  once  the  pride  of  em- 
perors and  kings,  now  overthrown  and  covered  with  the 
moss  of  centuries.  We  thread  our  way  through  the  mass  of 
ruins,  finding  here  and  there  an  ancient  temple  still  pre- 
served, standing  as  a landmark  and  bearing  testimony  as  to 
what  the  city  was  in  her  glory.  Everywhere  we  find  the 
dust  of  ages  clinging  to  her  ruins,  and  the  owls  and  the 
bats  flit  about  in  what  were  once  her  pleasant  palaces.  We 
are  reminded  of  the  words  of  Byron: 

“The  Niobe  of  nations!  there  she  stands 

Childless  and  crownless  in  her  voiceless  woe; 

An  empty  urn  within  her  withered  hands, 

Whose  sacred  dust  was  scattered  long  ago.” 

To  day  we  stand  on  the  Palatine  Hill  where  once  stood 
the  magnificent  palace  of  Tiberius,  who  ruled  Rome  when 


32  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

her  empire  was  at  the  height  of  its  glory.  Our  mind  goes 
back  to  a little  village  in  an  obscure  Roman  province, 
where  a babe  was  born  and  laid  in  a manger.  It  was  the 
Babe  of  Bethlehem,  whose  kingdom  should  be  established 
and  whose  reign  should  continue  after  Rome’s  mighty  tem- 
ples had  crumbled  to  dust.  When  Christ,  the  King,  was 
born,  the  palace  of  Tiberius  stood  on  the  height  where  we 
walk  to-day.  It  was  most  magnificent  in  all  its  propor- 
tions, and  grand  beyond  description  in  its  decorations. 
Within  its  marble  halls  every  luxury  that  human  ingenuity 
could  invent  and  the  wealth  of  the  world  could  purchase 
was  enjoyed  by  the  royal  household.  Nearly  nineteen  cen- 
turies have  passed  away;  the  palace  has  gone  with  them. 
No  trace  of  it  is  to  be  seen  to-day.  We  walk  beneath  the 
shade  of  the  eucalyptus  and  pepper  trees  and  pluck  roses 
by  the  wayside  for  loved  ones  at  home.  At  our  feet  lie  the 
ruins  of  the  Roman  Forum,  the  palaces  of  the  Caesars,  the 
Arch  of  Titus  and  the  Coliseum.  Ruins  everywhere,  and 
we  think,  What  is  the  value  of  the  work  of  man!  He  rears 
palaces,  temples  and  monuments,  he  passes  away  and  his 
works  crumble  to  dust!  Surely,  if  this  world  were  all  of 
life,  how  little  it  would  be  worth  living!  But  we  thank 
God  that  we  can  look  beyond  the  ruins  and  ravages  of  time 
to  a house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens. 

THE  COLISEUM. 

The  wonderful  structure,  grand,  massive  and  imposing 
in  its  ruins,  was  built  by  the  emperors  Vespasian  and  Titus 
after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  some  twelve  thousand 
Jews  who  were  brought  as  captives  from  Palestine  by  Titus 
assisting  in  building  the  gigantic  structure.  It  is  one  thou- 
sand, six  hundred  and  forty-one  feet  in  circumference,  two 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  feet  long,  one  hundred  and 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


33 


eighty-two  feet  wide  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet 
to  the  top  of  its  lofty  walls.  It  was  built  of  stone  and 
brick  and  covered  with  marble.  Seats  were  arranged  in 
tiers  in  the  interior  so  that  from  all  parts  of  the  great  struct- 
ure each  of  the  one  hundred  thousand  people  who  could 
find  sitting  and  standing  room  could  see  all  that  transpired 
in  the  arena  below. 

It  was  completed  in  the  year  A.  D.  80  and  Titus  dedi- 
cated it  with  games  and  gladiatorial  contests.  It  is  said 
that  five  thousand  wild  beasts  were  slain  and  as  many  men 
were  killed  in  the  contests,  which  were  continued  for  one 
hundred  days.  Thus  the  great  amphitheatre  was  dedicated 
in  blood,  and  it  was  not  many  years  until,  around  these 
old  ruins,  thousands  of  Christians  were  cruelly  tortured  and 
torn  by  wild  beasts. 

It  is  in  ruins  now,  but  so  strong  was  it  built  that  the 
lower  wall  is  entire  around  the  whole  building  and  more 
than  a fourth  of  it  stands  as  it  was  completed.  We  walk 
among  the  ruins  and  stand  in  the  arena,  we  see  the  dens 
where  the  wild  beasts  were  kept  and  our  mind  goes  back  to 
the  ages  past.  We  see  the  great  building  filled  to  its  ut- 
most capacity.  The  games  have  been  played,  the  contests 
settled,  and  now  a little  band  of  men  and  women  are  led  in- 
to the  arena;  they  have  been  brought  from  prison  and  stand 
alone  and  unarmed  in  the  amphitheatre.  They  stand,  the 
center  of  the  great,  gazing  throng,  and  in  all  that  throng 
there  is  not  a pitying  eye.  The  cry  goes  around  the  great 
building,  “The  Christians  to  the  lions,  to  the  lions!”  On 
the  faces  of  the  little  band  who  stand  alone  is  a peace  that 
passeth  understanding.  An  old,  gray-haired  father  says: 
“ Let  us  pray.”  They  kneel  reverently  in  prayer,  while  the 
multitudes  shout  and  upbraid  them.  At  a given  signal  the 
dens  are  opened.  The  famished  lions,  kept  without  food 


34 


NDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  maddened  with  the  smell  of  blood,  spring  into  the  are- 
na. For  an  instant  they  stand  dazed  by  the  light,  shaking 
their  shaggy  manes,  then  they  spring  upon  their  victims. 
The  band  of  Christian  martyrs  is  torn  to  pieces  and  the 
savage  Romans  yell  themselves  hoarse  with  delight.  Such 
a scene  as  this  comes  before  us  to-day  in  the  arena  of  the 
Coliseum,  and  it  is  not  a picture  of  the  imagination,  for 
thousands  of  Christians  were  torn  to  pieces  in  Rome  by 
wild  beasts.  We  turn  to  our  traveling  companion  and  say, 
Let  us  thank  God  that  we  live  in  an  age  when  such  scenes 
are  impossible.  Yes,  the  old  amphitheatre  is  in  ruins  and 
we  are  glad  of  it.  A writer,  who  once  visited  the  place, 
said  of  the  Coliseum: 

“ Its  solitude,  its  awful  beauty  and  its  utter  desolation, 
strikes  upon  the  stranger,  the  next  moment,  like  a softened 
sorrow;  and  never  in  his  life,  perhaps,  will  he  be  so  moved 
and  overcome  by  any  sight,  not  immediately  connected 
with  his  own  affections  and  afflictions.  To  see  it  crumbling 
there,  an  inch  a year;  its  walls  and  arches  overgrown  with 
green,  its  corridors  open  to  the  day;  the  long  grass  in  its 
porches;  young  trees  of  yesterday  springing  up  on  its  rag- 
ged parapets,  and  bearing  fruit:  chance  produce  of  the 
seeds  dropped  there  by  the  birds  who  build  their  nests 
within  its  chinks  and  crannies;  to  see  its  pit  of  fight  filled 
up  with  earth,  and  the  peaceful  cross  planted  in  the  center; 
to  climb  into  its  upper  halls  and  look  down  on  ruin,  ruin, 
ruin,  all  about  it;  the  triumphal  arches  of  Constantine,  Sep-* 
timus  Severus,  and  Titus,  the  Roman  Forum,  the  Palace  of 
the  Caesars,  the  temples  of  the  old  religion,  fallen  down  and 
gone;  is  to  see  the  ghost  of  old  Rome,  wicked,  wonderful 
old  city,  haunting  the  very  ground  on  which  its  people 
trod.  It  is  the  most  impressive,  the  most  stately,  the  most 
solemn,  grand,  majestic,  mournful  sight  conceivable.  Nev- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


35 


er,  in  its  bloodiest  prime,  can  the  sight  of  the  gigantic  Coli- 
seum, full  and  running  over  with  the  lustiest  life,  have 
moved  one  heart  as  it  must  move  all  who  look  upon  it  now, 
a ruin.  God  be  thanked,  a ruin!  ” 

The  first  Christian  martyr  who  suffered  in  this  place 
was  Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Antioch,  the  disciple  of  John  and 
the  companion  of  Polycarp.  When  brought  into  the  arena 
he  knelt  down  and  exclaimed:  “ Romans,  who  are  present, 
know  that  I have  not  been  brought  into  this  place  for  any 
crime,  but  in  order  that  by  this  means  I may  merit  the  frui- 
tion of  the  glory  of  God,  for  love  of  whom  I have  been 
made  prisoner.  I am  as  the  grain  of  the  field,  and  must  be 
ground  by  the  teeth  of  lions,  that  I may  become  bread  fit 
for  his  table.”  Then  closing  his  eyes  in  silent  prayer  he  so 
remained  until  the  famished  lions  were  loosed  and  he  was 
torn  to  pieces  and  devoured.  Jamieson,  in  his  “ Sacred 
Art,”  referring  to  the  martyrdom  of  this  servant  of  God, 
says:  “ His  story  and  fate  are  so  well  attested,  and  so  sub- 
limely affecting,  that  it  has  always  been  to  me  a cause  of 
surprise  as  well  as  regret,  to  find  so  few  representations  of 
him.” 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Ignatius  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen Christians  were  shot  to  death  in  the  arena  with  arrows, 
and  from  this  time  on,  until  the  end  of  the  pagan  persecu- 
tion, A.  D.  315,  the  history  of  the  place  is  replete  with  the 
sufferings  of  the  Christian  martyrs. 

We  repeat  again,  we  are  glad  the  Coliseum  is  a ruin. 
Yes,  thank  God,  a ruin! 

THE  CATACOMBS. 

Long  before  we  came  to  the  City  of  Rome,  we  had 
heard  about  and  read  of  the  great  Catacombs.  They  may 
be  said  to  encircle  the  ancient  city;  for  you  may  go  out  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


36 

Rome  on  almost  any  of  the  fourteen  great  consular  roads 
that  radiate  from  the  golden  milestone  in  the  Roman  Fo- 
rum, and  at  a distance  of  two  or  three  miles  from  the  walls 
of  the  city  you  will  find  entrances  to  these  subterranean 
galleries.  To  us  they  are  especially  interesting,  as  they  are 
directly  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

But  they  are  not  an  object  of  interest  to  modern  trav- 
elers only.  In  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  they 
excited  as  much  interest  as  they  do  now.  Then  they  were 
entirely  lost  sight  of  for  many  centuries.  The  entrances 
were  blocked  up,  and  even  their  existence  became  un- 
known. In  the  seventeenth  century  they  were  discovered, 
and  since  then  every  visitor  to  Rome  sees  with  interest 
these  ancient  galleries. 

The  Catacombs  are  first  referred  to  by  Jerome,  one  of 
the  church  fathers  who  wrote  A.  D.  380.  He  says:  “When 
I was  a boy,  being  educated  at  Rome,  I and  my  school- 
fellows used  on  Sunday  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  apostles  and  martyrs.  Often  we  descended  in- 
to the  crypts,  which  are  excavated  deep  into  the  earth,  and 
contain  as  you  enter,  on  either  hand  in  the  walls,  the  graves 
of  the  dead;  and  they  are  even  in  all  parts  dark,  so  that  the 
language  of  the  prophet  seems  to  be  fulfilled:  1 Let  them 
go  down  quick  into  Hades.’  Only  occasionally  is  light  let 
in  to  mitigate  the  horror  of  the  gloom;  and  then  not  so 
much  through  a window  as  through  a hole.  When  we 
again  advance,  the  surroundings  are  made  as  dark  as  night; 
as  Virgil  says, 

‘ A nameless  horror  makes  the  region  drear, 

The  very  silence  fills  the  soul  with  fear.’  ” 

Prudentius,  the  Christian  poet  who  lived  and  wrote 
near  the  close  of  the  fourth  century,  thus  describes  the 
Catacombs: 


Interior  of  the  Catacombs,  showing  Sleeping-places  of  the  Dead. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


"In  nowise  far  from  the  cultured  border  in  advance  of  the  fortified 
bounds, 

Lies  a dark  crypt  sunk  in  gaping  caves. 

Into  this  a descending  way  leads  by  hidden  steps;  the  sunbeams, 
Concealed  by  reason  of  the  turnings,  are  shut  out  in  daytime. 

For  the  dawning  light  enters  the  cavity  to  the  door  at  farthest, 

And  lightens  as  far  as  the  threshold  of  the  vestibule. 

From  thence,  gently  proceeding,  the  vista  is  blackness, 

The  loculi  are  obscured  in  darkness,  from  the  uncertainty  of  the  pas- 
sages. 

There  occur  apertures,  thrust  in  the  roof  above, 

Which  throw  a clear  gray  ray  into  the  cave. 

Although  from  that  place,  the  mazes  weave  in  and  out 
About  narrow  galleries  and  dark  courts, 

But  yet,  down  below  the  hollow  bowels  of  the  hill, 

Often  the  light  penetrates  the  pierced  vaulting. 

Thus  the  absent  sun  distinguishes  the  subterranean, 

His  brightness  and  shining  yields  advantage.” 

The  truthfulness  of  these  descriptions  will  at  once  be 
recognized  by  all  those  who  have  gone  down  into  the  black 
darkness  and  gloom  of  these  underground  vaults.  But  it 
does  not  describe  them  sufficiently  for  those  who  have  not 
seen  them.  Having  gone  down  into  them  with  lighted  wax 
tapers  and  a trusty  guide,  and  explored  some  of  the  dark 
and  intricate  passages  and  galleries,  one  of  the  “ sleeping 
places  ” of  the  dead  of  the  primitive  church  of  Rome,  we 
propose  to  give  our  readers  some  account  of  these  vast, 
subterranean  cemeteries.  In  the  preparation  of  this  sketch 
we  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  our  indebtedness  to  Dr. 
Russell  Forbes,  an  eminent  authority  on  the  antiquities  of 
Rome,  who  accompanied  us  in  our  walks  through  the  dark 
passages,  and.  gave  interesting  explanations  as  we  passed 
along. 

First,  then,  what  are  the  Catacombs?  The  name  which 
is  modern  does  not  convey  any  idea  as  to  the  use  of  these 
underground  galleries.  Originally  they  were  called  coeme- 
teria , a Latin  word  meaning  “sleeping  places,”  from  which 


4o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


we  have  our  word  cemetery.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  apostles  always  refer  to  death  as  a sleep.  Paul  speaks 
of  five  hundred  brethren  who  saw  the  Lord,  “The  greater 
part  remain  unto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep;” 
and  again,  “Them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring 
with  him;”  and,  “We  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  them  which  are 
asleep.”  Peter  also  speaks  of  the  fathers  as  having  fallen 
asleep.  How  natural  then,  with  the  views  they  had  of 
death  and  the  resurrection,  that  the  Christians  should  call 
their  tombs  sleeping-places!  And  how  expressive  of  their 
hope  of,  and  faith  in,  the  raising  of  the  body!  The  Lord 
had  said  of  Lazarus,  “ He  sleepeth.”  So,  when  death  called 
away  one  of  the  early  Christians,  they  said,  “ He  is  not 
dead,  but  has  fallen  asleep;  when  the  Lord  comes  again,  he 
will  call  him  from  his  sleeping-place." 

When  Paul  came  to  Rome  it  was  the  almost  universal 
custom  of  the  Romans  to  burn  the  bodies  of  their  dead 
friends.  The  ashes  were  then  carefully  collected  and 
placed  in  funerary  urns  which  were  deposited  in  vaults  pre- 
pared for  that  purpose.  The  very  idea  of  burning  their 
dead  was,  with  the  views  they  held,  repugnant  to  the  Chris- 
tians. As  the  body  of  their  Lord  had  been  wound  in  fine 
linen  and  laid  in  a rock-cut  tomb,  so  it  was  the  desire  of 
those  who  accepted  his  teachings  to  be  laid  away  in  like 
manner  when  they  had  fallen  asleep.  This  idea  culminat- 
ed in  what  are  now  known  as  the  Catacombs..  They  are 
simply  a series  of  rock-cut  tombs,  and  were  the  sleeping- 
places  of  those  who  died  in  the  Lord. 

According  to  the  Roman  law,  frequently  re-enacted 
during  the  days  of  the  empire,  the  burial  of  the  dead,  or 
even  their  ashes,  was  strictly  forbidden  within  the  walls  of 
the  city.  These  laws  were,  of  course,  just  as  binding  on 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


41 


the  Christians  as  they  were  on  the  Romans.  Hence  the 
burial-places  are  found  from  one  to  three  miles  from  the 
outer  wall  of  the  city.  Thus,  when  Julius  Caesar  was  assas- 
sinated and  divine  honors  were  accorded  him,  it  required  a 
special  act  of  the  Roman  Senate  to  burn  his  body  and  bury 
the  ashes  in  the  Forum. 

Another  law,  made  in  accordance  with  the  faith  of  the 
Roman  people,  held  all  burial-places  as  sacred.  It  was 
made  a capital  offense  to  desecrate  a cemetery  or  disturb 
the  ashes  or  the  body  of  the  dead.  This  law  explains  why 
the  Christians  were  permitted  to  excavate  tombs  for  their 
dead,  undisturbed  even  in  times  of  the  most  bitter  persecu- 
tion. They  even  became  places  of  concealment  for  the 
Christians,  and  often,  in  these  underground  passages,  the 
persecuted  church  at  Rome  met  to  celebrate  the  Lord’s 
Supper  and  partake  of  the  communion.  Here,  surrounded 
by  their  sainted  dead,  the  persecuted  Christians  celebrated 
the  agape , feast  of  love,  and  as  they  were  seated  around  the 
tables  they  vowed  to  be  true  to  each  other,  sealing  their 
vows  with  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  and  the  holy  kiss  of 
peace  and  charity. 

Of  these  underground  meetings  Lindsay  says:  “ But  all 
this  while  there  was  living  beneath  the  visible  and  invisible 
Rome  a population  unheeded,  unreckoned,  thought  of 
vaguely,  vaguely  spoken  of,  and  with  the  familiarity  and 
indifference  that  men  feel  who  live  on  a volcano,  yet  a pop- 
ulation strong-hearted,  of  quick  impulses,  nerved  alike  to 
suffer  and  die,  and  in  number,  resolution,  and  physical  force 
sufficient  to  have  hurled  their  oppressors  from  the  throne 
of  the  world,  had  they  not  deemed  it  their  duty  to  kiss  the 
rod,  to  love  their  enemies,  to  bless  those  that  cursed  them, 
and  to  submit,  for  their  Redeemer’s  sake,  to  the  powers  that 
be!  Here,  in  these  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  they  lived; 


42 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


here  they  died — a ‘spectacle’  in  their  lifetime  ‘to  men  and 
angels,’  and  in  their  death  a ‘triumph’  to  mankind — a tri- 
umph of  which  the  echoes  still  float  around  the  walls  of 
Rome,  and  over  the  desolate  Campagna,  while  those  that 
once  thrilled  the  Capitol  are  silenced,  and  the  walls  that  re- 
turned them  have  long  since  crumbled  into  the  dust.” 


Entrance  to  one  of  the  Catacombs. 


But  let  us  examine  more  minutely  these  vast  subterra- 
nean abodes  of  the  dead.  Going  out  of  the  City  of  Rome 
on  almost  any  of  the  great  consular  roads  a distance  of 
from  one  to  three  miles  we  find  the  entrances  to  the  Cata- 
combs. We  go  down  by  an  artificial,  modern  stairway  to  a 
depth  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  and  find  ourselves  in  a 
dark,  narrow  gallery.  This  is  the  entranceway  to  the  un- 
derground sleeping-places  of  the  dead.  They  consist  of 
long,  narrow  galleries,  from  two  and  one-half  to  three  feet 
wide  (and  in  some  places  even  narrower),  and  seven  or 
eight  feet  high,  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  from  fifteen  to  fifty 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth.  The  galleries  are  cut 
with  great  regularity,  so  that  the  floor  and  roof  are  at  right 
angles  with  the  sides.  They  run  in  straight  lines,  but  are 


u 


A Gallery  in  one  of  the  Catacombs 


44 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


crossed  by  others,  and  then  by  others  again,  until  a perfect 
network  of  galleries  is  formed  in  a labyrinth  where  one 
might  wander  in  the  very  blackness  of  darkness,  and  never 
find  his  way  out. 

The  galleries  are  out  on  different  levels,  so  that  there 
are  ;n  some  places  as  many  as  five  series  of  these  corridors 
lying  below  each  other.  In  the  one  we  visited  to-day  we 
found  five  levels,  each  reached  by  a descending  stairway 
cut  in  the  rocks.  The  walls  on  either  side  of  the  galleries 
are  honeycombed  with  graves  cut  in  the  rock,  one  above 
the  other.  Into  these  openings,  just  high  and  wide  enough 
to  admit  the  body,  the  dead  were  laid,  and  the  opening  was 
then  closed  with  a marble  slab  or  terra  cotta  tiles.  No  cof- 
fins were  used  in  the  first  centuries  in  burying  the  dead. 
The  body  was  wrapped  in  linen,  with  some  aromatic  spices 
and  herbs,  and  laid  in  the  sepulchre  hewn  out  of  the  rock. 
Thus  the  early  Christians  in  Rome  buried  their  dead  after 
the  example  of  the  burial  of  their  blessed  Lord  and  Master. 
On  the  marble  slab  which  closed  the  grave,  the  name  was 
usually  engraved  with  the  words  “ In  peace,"  or,  “ He  sleeps 
in  peace!'  The  older  inscriptions  are  all  in  Greek,  while  the 
later  are  in  Latin.  In  some  cases,  in  addition  to  the  name, 
other  words  and  sentiments  were  engraved  on  the  marble. 
We  give  a few  of  these  inscriptions,  translated  by  Dr. 
Forbes: 

“ Nicephorus,  a sweet  soul  in  refreshment.” 

“ Regina,  mayest  thou  live  in  the  Lord  Jesus.” 

“Valeria  sleeps  in  peace.” 

“ Loticus  laid  here  to  sleep.” 

“Sweet  Faustina,  may  you  live  in  God.” 

“Agape,  thou  shalt  live  forever.” 

“The  place  of  Basil,  the  Presbyter,  and  his  wife  Felici- 

tas.” 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  45 

“Diogenes  the  fossor  buried  in  peace  on  the  eighth 
before  the  calends  of  October.” 

“ Lannus  Christ’s  martyr  rests  here.  Made  under  Dio- 
cleti.” 

“ Lawrence  to  his  sweetest  son  Severus,  the  well  de- 
serving, borne  away  by  the  angels  on  the  seventh  before 
the  ides  of  January.” 

“ Primitus  in  peace.  After  many  torments,  a most  val- 
iant martyr.  He  lived  thirty-eight  years.  His  wife  raised 
this  to  her  dearest  husband,  the  well  deserving.” 

“ Here  lies  Gordius,  deputy  of  Gaul,  who  was  executed 
for  the  faith,  with  all  his  family.  They  rest  in  peace. 
Theophila,  a handmaid,  set  this  up.” 

“She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five.  From  the  day  of 
her  baptism  she  had  lived  fifty-seven  days.” 

“ Petronia,  a deacon’s  wife,  the  type  of  modesty.  In 
this  place  I lay  my  bones.  Spare  your  tears,  dear  husband 
and  daughters,  and  believe  that  it  is  forbidden  to  weep  for 
one  who  lives  in  God.  Buried  in  peace  on  the  third  before 
the  nones  of  October  in  the  consulate  of  Festus.” 

“ I commend  to  tllee,  O Basilla,  the  innocence  of  Ge- 
mellus. To  Paul  a well-deserving  son,  who  lived  two  years 
and  fifty  days.  May  the  spirits  of  all  the  saints  receive 
thee  into  peace.” 

“ Centianus,  a believer,  in  peace,  who  lived  thirty-one 
years,  eight  months,  sixteen  days.  Also  in  your  prayers 
pray  for  us,  for  we  know  that  you  are  in  Christ.” 

The  translations  might  be  extended  almost  indefinite- 
ly, but  these  will  suffice  to  give  a general  idea  of  what  is 
found  in  the  Catacombs  in  the  way  of  inscriptions. 

The  early  Christians  in  burying  their  dead  in  rock-cut 
tombs  were  only  following  the  Bible  examp’es.  Abraham 
bought  the  cave  of  Machpelah  “ for  a possession  of  a bury- 
ing place,”  and  he  “ buried  Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave  of 
the  field  of  Machpelah.”  “Then  Abraham  gave  up  the 


46 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ghost  and  died  . . . and  his  sons  Isaac  and  Ishmael 

buried  him  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah.”*  Isaac  and  Re- 
becca and  Jacob  and  Leah  were  also  buried  there.  Laza- 
rus was  buried  in  a cave,  or  rather,  a rock-hewn  tomb:  “ It 
was  a cave,  and  a stone  lay  upon  it. ”7  And  most  impor- 
tant of  all  to  the  early  disciples,  Christ  was  laid  in  a tomb 
hewn  out  of  the  living  rock.  “And  when  Joseph  had 
taken  the  body,  he  wrapped  it  in  a clean  linen  cloth,  and 
laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn  out  in  the 
rock.”*  It  was  quite  natural,  then,  for  the  Christians  to 
follow  these  examples  in  preparing  resting-places  for  the 
bodies  of  their  dead. 


Side  View  of  an  Ancient  Sarcophagus  with  Sculptured  Figures  in  Bas-relief. 


There  are  about  sixty  of  the  Catacombs  within  a radius 
of  three  miles  from  the  Roman  Forum.  According  to  De 
Rossi’s  careful  calculation  they  cover  an  area  of  six  hun- 


*Gen.  25: 8,  9. 
fjohn  xi : 38. 
JMatt.  27:  S9,  60. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


4 7 


dred  and  fifteen  acres.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
galleries  run  one  above  another  so  that  in  some  places  as 
many  as  five  are  thus  disposed.  It  may  be  said  that  the 
Catacombs  are  five  stories  high.  The  deepest  level  reached 
is  about  fifty  feet  below  the  surface,  and  this  is  nearly  on 
the  water  level  of  the  Tiber.  Had  they  dug  deeper  the 
passages  would  have  been  filled  with  water.  If  all  the  un- 
derground passages,  rooms,  galleries,  and  corridors  were 
placed  in  a straight  line  their  total  length  would  be  nearly 
seven  hundred  miles.  If  stretched  between  Chicago  and 
Philadelphia,  they  would  almost  reach  from  the  City  of  the 
Lakes  to  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love. 

The  rock  into  which  the  Catacombs  were  cut  is  a stra- 
tum of  tufa  much  softer  than  limestone.  The  men  who  ex- 
cavated the  tombs  were  known  as  fossores  or  gravediggers 
and  they  performed  their  labors  with  pickaxe,  hammer  and 
chisel.  There  is  no  evidence  that  any  kind  of  explosives 
was  used  in  excavating  the  subterranean  passages.  These 
men  spent  most  of  their  time  in  hewing  out  the  tombs  and 
at  last  were  laid  away,  as  the  inscriptions  show,  in  the  nich- 
es which  they  had  made. 

Another  feature  of  these  great  burial  vaults  has  not  yet 
been  referred  to.  At  some  places  the  galleries  are  enlarged 
into  square,  and  at  others  into  circular  rooms  of  consider- 
able size.  These  were  family  burial-places  and  here,  about 
the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  stone  coffins  were  first 
used.  The  rooms  were  cut  out  for  those  who  were  able  to 
pay  for  the  work,  and  were  doubtless  used,  as  were  the  first 
stone  coffins,  called  sarcophagi,  by  the  wealthy. 

In  one  of  the  largest  of  the  rooms  which  we  visited, 
fifty  people  might  find  standing-room  at  one  time.  In  it  is 
the  following  inscription,  clearly  cut  in  a large  slab  of  mar- 
ble. It  was  erected  by  Damasus,  Bishop  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  A.  D.  366: 


A Crypt  in  the  Catacombs,  showing  Skeletons  in  the  Niches, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  49 

“ Here,  if  you  would  know,  lie  heaped  together  a num- 
ber of  the  holy.” 

“ These  honored  sepulchres  enclose  the  bodies  of  the 
saints.” 

“Their  lofty  souls  the  palace  of  heaven  has  received.” 

“ Here  lie  the  companions  of  Christ,  who  bear  away 
the  trophies  from  the  enemy.” 

“Here  a tribe  of  elders,  which  guard  the  throne  of 
Christ.” 

“ Here  is  buried  the  priest  who  long  lived  in  peace.” 

“ Here  the  holy  ministers  who  came  from  Greece.” 

“ Here  lie  youths  and  boys,  old  men  and  their  chaste 
descendants,  who  kept  their  virginity  undefiled.” 

“ Here  I,  Damasus,  wished  to  have  laid  my  limbs,  but 
feared  to  disturb  the  holy  ashes  of  the  saints.” 

The  good  bishop,  not  finding  space  for  a sepulchre 
among  the  martyrs  of  the  early  church,  caused  a tomb  to 
be  built  for  himself  at  the  entrance  to  the 
catacomb  in  which  this  inscription  is  to  be 
seen,  and  there  he  was  laid  to  rest,  and  his 
tomb  remains  unto  this  day. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  Cata- 
combs is  that  they  contain  the  earliest  at- 
tempts of  the  Christians  in  decorating  the 
tombs  of  the  dead  in  painting  or  frescoing. 
In  the  larger  rooms,  many  of  which  were 
covered  with  plaster,  rude  pictures,  painted 
very  early  in  the  Christian  era,  are  to  be 
seen.  As  might  be  expected,  the  scenes 
are  all  taken  from  the  Bible.  That  most 
frequently  met  with  is  a representation  of 
Christ  as  the  Good  Shepherd.  The  figure  is 
that  of  a man  with  a lamb  on  his  shoulders. 
In  the  baptism  of  Christ  by  John  in  the  Jordan  the  Savior 
is  represented  as  having  stepped  down  into  the  water,  while 


The  Good  Shepherd , 
Fresco  in  the 
Catacombs. 


50 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


John  is  probably  in  the  act.  The  Lord’s  Supper,  the  agape 
of  the  early  church,  is  also  painted  on  the  walls  of  the 
tombs.  Moses  striking  the  rock,  and  the  story  of  Jonah 
are  also  illustrated.  In  the  latter  is  seen  a great  sea 
monster,  and  not  a whale,  casting  Jonah  upon  dry  ground. 
This  shows  that  the  revised  version  is  correct  in  rendering 
it  sea  monster  instead  of  whale. 

The  frescoes  are  but  rude- 


ly executed,  and  yet  they 
teach  their  own  lessons.  No 
one  would  come  to  the  Cata- 
combs to  take  lessons  in  the- 
ology, and  yet  they  prove  be- 
yond all  doubt  that  the  prim- 


Representation of  Loaves  and  Fish  in 
the  Catacombs. 


itive  church  believed  that  Christ  was  baptized  in  the  river, 
and  not  on  its  bank,  and  that  the  agape , or  love  feast,  was 
practiced  in  the  primitive  church. 

The  frescoes  to  which  we  have  referred  belong  to  the 
very  earliest  period.  Later  improvement  was  made  in 
drawing  and  painting,  and  in  the  catacomb  we  explored  we 
saw  the  head  of  our  Lord  painted  on  the  wall,  which 
showed  skill  and  artistic  taste.  To  this  subject  we  have 
given  considerable  study,  and  in  a succeeding  letter  we  will 
give  the  latest  and  most  authentic  developments  on  the 
question  as  to  whether  there  is  a correct  portrait  of  our 
Savior  in  existence. 

We  have  merely  glanced  at  the  Catacombs  and  what 
they  contain,  and  already  the  limits  of  our  space  have  been 
exceeded.  We  might  spend  months  here  and  write  vol- 
umes without  exhausting  the  different  subjects.  We  are 
confining  our  work  to  Christian  Antiquities,  and  our  next 
letter  will  contain  a study  of  the  footsteps  of  Paul  in  Rome. 


CHAPTER  III. 


^\r 

Paul  in  Italy  and  Rome. — Puteoli. — Appii  Forum  and  the  Three  Tav- 
erns.— The  Appian  Way. 

“And  from  thence,  when  the  brethren  heard  of  us,  they  came  to  meet  us  as  far  as 
Appii  Forum,  and  the  Three  Taverns;  whom  when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God,  and  took 
courage.”— Acts  28:  1?. 


pH  IS  ninth  day  of  December,  1892,  God,  in  his  infi- 


^ nite  goodness  and  mercy,  has  permitted  us  to  trav- 
***&  r*-  erse  the  Appian  Way,  over  which  his  servant  Paul 
walked  when  he  was  brought  a prisoner  to  Rome.  We 
went  out  as  far  as  the  fourteenth  milestone,  counting  from 
the  center  of  Rome.  Just  beyond  the  eleventh  milestone 
we  came  to  the  Three  Taverns,  where  the  brethren  met 
Paul  and  gave  him  encouragement.  And  here  by  the  way- 
side  we  write  these  lines,  not  very  far  from  the  place  where 
Paul  rested,  “ thanked  God  and  took  courage.” 

From  the  Three  Taverns  the  Appian  Way  ascends  the 
mountain  to  Albana.  To  the  edge  of  this  village  we  walk 
and  stand  on  the  ridge  of  the  hill  from  which,  as  he  came 
from  Appii  Forum,  Paul  caught  his  first  sight  of  Rome, 
where  he  was  afterwards  to  suffer  a martyr’s  death.  And 
what  a grand  sight  it  is!  Although  fourteen  miles  away, 
Rome  is  in  plain  sight.  The  dome  of  St.  Peter’s  Cathedral 
glistens  in  the  rays  of  the  noonday  sun.  What  a different 
sight  met  the  eyes  of  Paul  as  he  stood  here  more  than 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago  and  looked  upon  pagan  Rome! 
He  came  along  this  road  a prisoner,  bound  with  a chain. 
In  some  places  the  same  blocks  of  stone  over  which  he 


52 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


walked,  worn  away  by  the  chariot  wheels  that  passed  over 
them  two  thousand  years  ago,  are  still  to  be  seen.  And 
there  is  not  the  least  doubt  that  this  is  the  road  by  which 
Paul  entered  Rome. 

Retracing  our  steps  we  return  to  the  Three  Taverns. 
There  are  three  buildings  here  to-day  and  it  is  likely  that 
there  was  the  same  number  in  Paul’s  time, — an  inn,  a shop 
where  the  broken  chariots  might  be  mended,  and  a dwell- 
ing-house. Dr.  Forbes  in  his  researches  has  removed  all 
doubt  as  to  the  place,  and  we  are  writing  to-day  at  one  of 
the  places  where  the  brethren  met  Paul  and  gave  him  new 
courage  to  continue  in  the  great  work  of  preaching  the 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  to  the  Gentiles. 

Let  us  follow  Paul  from  the  place  where  he  landed  in 
Italy  till  he  reached  the  City  of  Rome.  But  we  defer  this 
until  after  we  visit  the  place  where  he  landed.  In  our  re- 
searches we  are  not  willing  to  take  hearsay  evidence  when 
we  can  see  the  places  we  wish  to  describe. 

PUTEOLI. 

“And  after  one  day  the  south  wind  blew,  and  we  came 
the  next  day  to  Puteoli:  where  we  found  brethren,  and  were 
desired  to  tarry  with  them  seven  days;  and  so  went  toward 
Rome.”  To-day  we  stood  on  a part  of  the  old,  ruined  pier 
at  Pozzuoli,  the  Italian  name  for  Puteoli.  On  the  founda- 
tions of  the  old  pier  has  been  built  a new  structure,  but 
there  is  still  part  of  the  old  to  be  seen  rising  above  the  wa- 
ter, on  which  Paul  landed  on  his  journey  to  Rome.  Al- 
ready the  Christian  religion  had  spread  along  the  shores  of 
the  Great  Sea  and  reached  the  port  of  Puteoli.  And  when 
Paul  landed  in  the  spring  of  A.  D.  62  at  this  place,  the 
brethren  met  him  and  his  company  and  prevailed  upon 
them  to  spend  a week  with  them. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  53 

It  had  been  a long,  dangerous,  and  toilsome  voyage. 
They  had  sailed  from  Cesarea  in  the  fall  of  A.  D.  61. 
Touching  at  Sidon,  they  sailed  by  Cyprus  to  Myra  of  Lyc- 
ia.  Here  they  changed  ships,  and,  contrary  to  Paul’s 
counsel,  left  port  and  were  shipwrecked  on  the  Island  of 
Malta  (Melita).  Here  they  spent  the  winter  and  now  they 
had  reached  the  last  stage  of  their  journey  by  ship.  After 
having  passed  through  the  great  perils  of  the  deep  by  ship- 


Puteoli,  Paul's  Landing-place  in  Italy. 

wreck,  and  their  long  winter  sojourn  with  the  barbarous 
people  of  the  Island  of  Melita,  how  it  must  have  rejoiced 
the  hearts  of  Paul  and  his  company  to  be  received  and 
warmly  greeted' by  the  brethren  at  Puteoli.  No  doubt  they 
were  easily  persuaded  “to  tarry  with  them  seven  days,” 
and  Paul  would  comfort  and  confirm  the  brethren  in  their 
faith. 


54 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


How  soon  that  week  must  have  passed  away!  We 
should  like  to  linger  here  at  Puteoli,  but  our  space  will  not 
allow  an  extended  description  of  Paul’s  landing-place  in 
Italy,  and  so  we  go  with  him  toward  Rome.  The  journey 
is  a long  and  tedious  one,  over  mountains  and  valleys. 
The  distance  to  be  traveled  on  foot  is  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty miles.  The  little  company  of  believers  start  out  on 
the  great  Consular  road  ( Via  Consulates),  and  follow  it  to 
its  junction  with  the  Appian  Road  ( Via  Appia),  “the  queen 
of  long  roads,”  as  it  was  called  by  the  Romans.  Here  they 
stop  for  a short  rest  at  Capua,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  Rome.  Continuing  their  journey  along  the  Appian 
road  they  cross  the  Pontine  Marshes  and  at  last  reach  Ap- 
pii  Forum,  where  the  first  company  of  brethren  met  them, 
forty-three  miles  from  the  Imperial  City. 

Here  we  notice  the  regard  these  brethren  had  for  the 
prisoner  who  was  coming  to  them.  They  went  out  a long 
distance  to  meet  him,  and  how  their  solicitude  must  have 
cheered  the  hearts  of  the  weary  travelers.  After  resting' at 
Appii  Forum,  the  journey  was  continued  to  the  Three  Tav- 
erns, the  last  halting-place  before  reaching  Rome,  and  elev- 
en miles  from  the  city.  And  here  another  and,  doubtless, 
a larger  company  of  the  brethren  met  the  prisoner,  “ whom 
when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God  and  took  courage.” 

Here  we  have  an  account  of  two  companies  of  the 
brethren  meeting  Paul.  Those  who  went  to  Appii  Forum 
were,  perhaps,  able  to  spend  more  time  than  those  who 
came  to  the  Three  Taverns.  The  latter  were,  doubtless, 
laborers.  They  could  quit  their  work  at  3 o’clock  in  the 
afternoon,  go  out  to  the  place  of  meeting,  and  return  again 
in  the  early  morning  in  time  to  begin  their  day’s  labor. 
This  may  account  for  the  two  companies  of  brethren  who 
went  out  from  Rome  to  meet  Paul  and  his  fellow-travelers. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  55 

From  the  Three  Taverns  to  the  city  the  Appian  Way 
was  literally  lined  on  either  side  with  magnificent  tombs, 
costly  monuments,  great  temples  and  beautiful  villas.  The 


Arch  of  Drusus  through  which  Paul  passed  when  he  entered  Rome. 

ruins  are  to  be  seen  to  this  day  and  are  of  much  interest  to 
the  traveler.  With  a largely-increased  company'  the  last 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


56 

stage  of  the  apostle’s  journey  begins  in  the  early  morning, 
so  that  the  city  may  be  reached  before  the  heat  of  the  day; 
and,  in  all  probability,  before  9 o’clock  Paul  passes  beneath 
the  Arc?  of  Drusus,  enters  the  Capena  Gate,  is  taken 
through  die  city  by  the  Palatine  Hill,  on  which  stood  the 
Palace  cf  me  Caesars,  and  across  the  Roman  Forum  to  the 
Camp  of  the  Praetorian  Guard.  “ And  when  we  came  to 
Rome  the  centurion  delivered  the  prisoners  to  the  captain 
of  the  guard:  but  Paul  was  suffered  to  dwell  by  himself 
with  a soldier  that  kept  him.” 

Thus  ended  Paul’s  long  journey.  And  with  him  it  end- 
ed as  it  began.  He  was  still  a prisoner.  It  is  true,  he  was 
not  cast  into  prison.  Being  a Roman  citizen  that  could  not 
lawfully  be  done  without  a trial.  Yet,  while  he  was  al- 
lowed some  degree  of  liberty  and  freedom,  so  that  he  could 
rent  a house  and  dwell  by  himself,  he  was  still  in  bondage. 
A soldier  was  constantly  with  him  and  “kept  him,”  and  it 
is  not  at  all  improbable  that  he  was  chained  to  a Roman 
soldier  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 

. PAUL  IN  ROME. 

One  of  the  first  things  the  apostle  did,  after  having  se- 
cured a house  and  settled  his  household  affairs,  was  to 
make  an  effort  to  call  the  Jews  who  lived  in  Rome  to 
Christ.  He  called  the  chief  of  the  Jews  together  and  gave 
them  some  account  of  himself,  telling  them  that  for  the 
hope  of  Israel  he  was  bound  with  a chain.  Then  they  ap- 
pointed a day  when  they  would  hear  him  concerning  Jesus, 
and  he  preached  to  them  with  all  the  zeal  and  power  of 
which  he  was  capable.  This  showed  that  his  heart’s  desire 
was  that  Israel  should  be  saved;  but  when  they  rejected  the 
Truth  he  turned  to  the  Gentiles. 

As  to  Paul’s  life  in  Rome  we  know  but  little.  The 
concluding  words  of  the  last  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


57 


Apostles  tell  us  that  he  “ dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own 
hired  house,  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him,  preach- 
ing the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching  those  things  which 
concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  all  confidence,  no  man 
forbidding  him.”  We  know,  too,  that  God  overruled  Paul’s 
bondage  and  chains  for  good,  and  that  it  resulted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  a strong  church  in  Rome.  So  great  was  the 
apostle’s  influence  that  even  some  of  the  members  of  Cae- 
sar’s household  were  converted  to  the  faith-.  We  know, 
too,  that  his  life  for  these  two  years  was  active  and  full  of 
work;  not  only  did  he  preach  the  Gospel,  but  the  care  of 
other  churches  was  upon  him.  . Of  his  labor  in  Rome  he 
speaks,  in  writing  to  the  Philippians:  “ Now  I would  have 
you  know,  brethren,  that  the  things  which  happened  unto 
me  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  progress  of  the  gospel; 
so  that  my  bonds  became  manifest  in  Christ  throughout 
the  whole  praetorian  guard,  and  to  all  the  rest.”  Here,  too, 
he  wrote  the  epistles  to  the  Galatians,  Ephesians,  Philippi- 
ans, Colossians,  Second  Timothy  and  Hebrews. 

Chrysostom,  writing  of  Paul  and  his  relations  to  the 
church  at  Rome,  says:  “ I honor  Rome  for  this  reason;  for 
though  I could  celebrate  her  praises  on  many  accounts, — 
for  her  greatness,  for  her  beauty,  for  her  power,  for  her 
wealth,  an.d  for  her  warlike  exploits,  yet  passing  over  all 
these  things  I glorify  her  on  this  account,  that  Paul,  in  his 
lifetime,  wrote  to  the  Romans,  and  loved  them,  and  was 
present  with,  and  conversed  with  them,  and  ended  his  life 
amongst  them.  Wherefore,  the  city  is,  on  this  account,  re- 
nowned more  than  all  others.  On  this  account  I admire 
her,  not  on  account  of  her  gold,  her  columns,  or  her  other 
splendid  decorations.” 

Another  author,  writing  of  the  labors  of  the  apostle, 
says:  “ Paul  had  already  accomplished  much  in  the  conver- 


WANDEKINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


58 

sion  of  sinners.  At  Cyprus  the  Roman  officer,  Sergius 
Paulus,  had  been  converted.  At  Athens  he  had  preached 
to  the  court  of  the  Areopagites,  and  Dionysius,  one  of  that 
learned  body  of  judges,  had  accepted  the  Truth.  And  now 
at  Rome  he  was  doing  valiant  work  for  the  Master.  His 
words  are  heard  even  in  the  Golden  House  of  Nero.  Not 
only  those  who  attend  the  court  but  some  of  the  household 
of  Caesar,  possibly  some  of  his  relatives,  yield  to  the  power 
of  the  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ.  Then  he  also  gathered 
a group  of  eager  disciples  about  him.  There  was  Onesiph- 
orus,  of  Ephesus,  who  was  not  ashamed  of  Paul’s  chain, 
Epaphros,  of  Colosse,  who  was  captive  with  him,  Timothy, 
his  own  son  in  the  faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with 
Hernias,  Aristarchus,  Marcus,  Demas,  and  Luke,  the  well- 
beloved  physician,  the  faithful  companion  and  friend  of  the 
apostle.”  These  stood  by  him  and  comforted  him.  How 
blessed  is  the  man  who  has  helpful,  loving  friends  in  time 
of  need, — friends  not  of  a day,  a month,  or  a year,  but 
friends  for  life  and  death!  Such  were  Paul’s  friends,  and 
surely  he  was  richly  blessed  of  God. 

On  the  Palatine  Hill  stood  Cmsar’s  judgment  hall.  We 
walked  amid  its  ruins  and  thought  of  Paul  standing  there 
alone  before  Nero,  the  blood-stained  adulterer,  who  was  to 
judge  him  and  pass  upon  the  charges  preferred  against  him 
by  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin.  Pie  was  fully  prepared  for  his 
trial,  and  anxious  for  the  time  to  come.  He  wrote  at  this 
time:  “According  to  my  earnest  expectation  and  my  hope, 
that  in  nothing  I shall  be  ashamed,  but  that  with  all  bold- 
ness, as  always,  so  now  also  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  my 
body,  whether  it  be  by  life,  or  by  death.  P'or  to  me  to  live 
is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain.”  He  was  ready  to  go  before 
Caesar,  but  while  he  was  waiting,  on  May  18,  A.  D.  64,  a 
great  fire  broke  out  in  the  City  of  Rome,  and  raged  with 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


59 


great  fury  for  six  days.  It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  city 
was  burned  by  the  order  of  Nero  himself,  and  to  escape 
suspicion  he  threw  the  blame  on  the  Christians.  The  re- 
sult was  a bloody  persecution  in  which  many  were  put  to 
death.  We  quote  the  account  given  by  Tacitus  of  this  per- 
secution. 


Nero  and  Poppcea  his  Wife. 


“ Hence,  to  suppress  the  rumor,  he,  Nero,  falsely 
charged  with  the  guilt,  and  punished  with  the  most  exqui- 
site tortures,  the  persons  commonly  called  Christians,  who 
were  hated  for  their  enormities  (being  mixed  up  by  the 
Romans  with  the  Jews,  who,  at  this  time,  were  in  revolt). 
Christus,  the  founder  of  that  name,  was  put  to  death  as  a 
criminal  by  Pontius  Pilate,  procurator  of  Judea,  in  the  reign 
of  Tiberius;  but  the  pernicious  superstition,  repressed  for  a 
time,  broke  out  again,  not  only  throughout  Judea,  where 
the  mischief  originated,  but  through  the  City  of  Rome  also. 
Accordingly,  first  those  were  seized  who  confessed  they 
were  Christians;  next,  on  their  information,  a vast  multi- 
tude were  convicted,  not  so  much  on  the  charge  of  burning 
the  City,  as  of  hating  the  human  race.  And  in  their  deaths 
they  were  also  made  the  subjects  of  sport,  for  they  were 


6o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


covered  with  the  skins  of  wild  animals  and  worried  to  death 
by  dogs,  or  nailed  to  crosses,  or  set  fire  to,  and  when  day 
declined,  burned  to  serve  for  nocturnal  lights.  Nero  of- 
fered his  own  gardens  for  that  spectacle,  and  exhibited  a 
circensian  game,  indiscriminately  mingling  with  the  com- 
mon people  in  the  habit  of  a charioteer,  or  else  standing  in 
his  own  chariot;  whence  a feeling  of  compassion  arose 
towards  the  sufferers,  thought  guilty  and  deserving  to  be 
made  examples  of  by  capital  punishment,  because  they 
seemed  not  to  be  cut  off  for  the  public  good,  but  victims  to 
the  ferocity  of  one  man.”  (“Annals  of  Tacitus”  15,  44.) 

Before  the  persecution  started  the  great  apostle  had 
some  hopes  of  being  released  and  set  at  liberty.  He  wait- 
ed patiently  for  his  trial.  Writing  to  the  Philippians  at 
this  time  he  says  of  Timotheus,  “ Him  therefore  I hope  to 
send  presently,  so  soon  as  I shall  see  how  it  will  go  with 
me.  But  I trust  in  the  Lord  that  I also  myself  shall  come 
shortly.”  Philpp.  2:  23,  24.  In  the  same  hopeful  frame  of 
mind  he  writes  to  Philemon:  “ But  withal  prepare  me  also  a 
lodging:  for  I trust  that  through  your  prayers  I shall  be 
given  unto  you.”  Phil.  22.  In  his  first  trial  at  Cesarea  he 
stood  alone:  “At  my  first  answer  no  man  stood  with  me, 
but  all  men  forsook  me:  I pray  God  that  it  may  not  be  laid 
to  their  charge.”  2 Tim.  4:  16.  Now  the  brethren  of 
Rome  were  with  him  and  comforted  him:  “ Eubulus,  Pu- 
dcns,  Linus,  Claudia  and  all  the  brethren.”  But  while  he 
is  hopeful,  he  is  also  fully  prepared  for  the  issues  of  the  tri- 
al. Whether  it  be  to  live  or  to  die,  to  depart  or  to  remain, 
he  is  ready  for  the  issue.  He  can  say  with  calmness  and 
in  the  full  assurance  of  faith:  “Christ  shall  be  magnified  in 
my  body,  whether  it  be  by  life,  or  by  death.  For  to  me  to 
live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain.”  Philpp.  1:  20,  21. 

But  now  all  is  changed.  While  Paul  waits  the  emper- 
or sets  the  city  on  fire  and,  as  we  have  seen,  throws  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


6l 


blame  and  odium  on  the  Christians.  The  terrible  persecu- 
tion is  begun.  Paul,  the  well-known  leader  of  the  sect 
called  Nazarenes,  is  placed  under  close  surveillance  and  the 
time  for  his  trial  is  fixed.  The  persecution  rages.  Men, 
women  and  children  are  tortured  and  put  to  death  in  the 
most  cruel  and  heartless  manner.  The  day  for  the  trial  of 
the  apostle  is  at  hand,  and  he  knows  that  the  day  of  his  tri- 
umph has  come.  Writing  for  the  last  time  to  his  beloved 
son  Timothy  he  exclaims  in  prophetic  language:  “ For  I 
am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure 
is  at  hand.  I have  fought  a good  fight,  I have  finished  my 
course,  I have  kept  the  faith:  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  a crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day:  and  not  to  me  only,  but 
unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing.”  2 Tim.  4:  6-8. 
Grand  and  fitting  words  with  which  to  close  life’s  labors. 
How  these  words  have  cheered  and  comforted  weary  Chris- 
tians all  the  centuries  since  Paul  wrote  them;  and  they  will 
continue  to  be  a comfort  until  the  Master  shall  come 
again. 

The  end  of  the  apostle’s  suffering  and  bonds  is  now  at 
hand.  He  is  taken  to  Caesar’s  judgment  hall  and  stands  be- 
fore the  bloody  tyrant  who  is  guilty  of  every  crime  known 
in  the  catalogue  of  gross  human  sins.  What  a contrast! 
Paul,  the  aged  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ,  whose  life  had  been 
spent  in  the  service  of  his  Master;  Nero,  the  sensuous  vo- 
luptuary, the  human  monster  whose  very  name  causes  men 
to  shudder  even  to-day.  We  have  no  account  of  the  trial. 
We  know  that  he  was  innocent,  but  he  was  condemned  to 
death.  Under  the  Roman  law  no  time  was  allowed  be- 
tween sentence  and  execution.  As  Christ  was  led  from  Pi- 
late’s judgment  hall  to  the  place  of  crucifixion,  so  Paul  was 
taken  from  before  Caesar  to  the  circus  on  the  Vatican  Hill, 
and  there  this  valiant  soldier  of  the  cross  was  put  to  death. 


62 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Circus  of  Nero , from  a Coin. 


Christ 


In  the  center  of  the  Circus  stood  a silent  witness  to  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Paul  and  his  followers, — an  Egyp- 
tian obelisk  brought  from  the  quarries  at  Assuan  by  the 
Emperor  Caligula.  It  had  been  hewn 
out  by  Pharaoh’s  workmen,  but  had 
never  been  erected  in  Egypt.  In 
1586  it  was  removed  from  the  Circus 
and  placed  in  front  of  St.  Peter’s 
Church  in  Rome.  Standing  by  this 
solemn,  silent  witness  of  the  death  of 
Paul  the  mind  is  carried  back  to  the 
sufferings  of  this  heroic  servant  of 
God.  It  bears  the  inscription:  “Christ 
is  triumphant!  Christ  reigns!  Christ  is  emperor! 
paid  all  our  debts.” 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  fact  that  when  Paul 
went  to  Rome  it  was  the  custom  among  the  Romans  to 
burn  the  bodies  of  the  dead.  The  ashes  were  put  in  vases 

and  these  were  deposited  in 
underground  vaults,  espe- 
cially prepared  for  that  pur- 
pose and  called  columba- 
ria. Like  the  Catacombs, 
the  columbaria  were  cut  in 
rock.  In  the  galleries  on 
either  side  niches  were  cut 
and  in  these  were  placed 
the  cinerary  urns  or  vases 


Portrait  of  Paul  painted  on  a Glass  V ase 
of  the  Fifth  Century. 


containing  the  ashes  of  the 


dead.  Beneath  these  were 
placed  marble  slabs  containing  inscriptions  relating  to 
those  whose  ashes  rested  here. 


Columbaria  in  Rome,  where  the  Ashes  of  the  Dead  were  Deposited. 


I 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


65 


We  visited  the  columbaria  of  Scipio  and  of  the  serv- 
ants of  Caesar’s  household.  The  latter  contain  the  ashes 
of  the  officers  and  members  of  the  imperial  family  from 
Caesar  to  Nero  inclusive.  It  is  interesting  because  it  is  in 
an  excellent  state  of  preservation  and  because  some  of  the 
names  found  in  it  are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  following  are  the  inscriptions: 

“Tryphena  Valeria  and  Valerius.’’ 

“ Futianus  to  the  memory  of  the  mother  Tryphena.” 

“ Varia  Tryphosa,  patron,  and  3\I.  Eppius  Clemens  erect- 
ed this  to  his  well-beloved  wife  who  lived  thirty  years.” 

“ Ampliatus  made  this  for  his  well-deserving  brother 
Restitutus.” 

The  names  of  Onesimus,  Philetus  and  Epaphras  also 
occur  in  the  inscriptions. 


Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Romans,  written  at  Corinth 
A.  D.  68,  refers  to  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa.  He  says:  “ Sa- 
lute Tryphena  and  Tryphosa,  who  labor  in  the  Lord.” 


6 o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Rom.  16:  12.'  To  Philemon  he  says:  “I  beseech  thee  for 
my  son  Onesimus,  whom  I have  begotten  in  my  bonds.” 
Phil.  10.  Ampliatus  is  spoken  of  in  the  letter  to  the  Ro- 
mans and  Epaphras  in  the  letter  to  the  Colossians  as  “ our 
dear  fellow  servant”  and  “one  of  you,  a servant  of  Christ,” 
and  to  Philemon  as  “ my  fellow  prisoner  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

The  inscriptions  compared  with  the  writings  of  the 
apostle  show  that  the  names  used  are  the  same.  The  ques- 
tion at  once  arises,  Are  they  the  same?-  Can  we  to-day 
look  upon  the  ashes  of  those  early  Christians  in  Rome? 
The  answer  by  Dr.  Forbes  is  given.  Speaking  of  these 
names  he  says:  “ They  are  uncommon  and  we  have  them 
mentioned  only  by  Paul  and  on  these  marble  slabs,  which 
slabs  are  in  the  columbaria  of  the  freedmen  of  the  Caesars, 
agreeing  in  date  with  the  time  of  Paul’s  letters,  who  him- 
self preached  to  and  had  converts  among  the  household  of 
Caesar,  in  the  Praetorian  Camp,  and  in  the  imperial  palace 
upon  the  Palatine  Hill.  He  says,  writing  to  the  Philippi- 
ans  (chapter  1:  13):  ‘So  that  my  bonds  in  Christ  are  mani- 
fest in  all  the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places;’  and  in  chap- 
ter 4:  22,  ‘All  the  saints  salute  you,  chiefly  they  that  are  of 
Caesar’s  household.’  ” 

The  name  of  Valeria  was  taken  by  Tryphena  when  she 
obtained  her  freedom  from  her  mistress,  the  Empress  Mes- 
salina,  whose  name  was  Valeria.  The  slabs  were  erected  by 
their  fellow-servants  in  the  official  household  of  Caesar,  and 
show  in  what  esteem  these  men  and  women  who  had  em- 
braced Christianity  were  held  by  their  associates,  and  there 
seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  names  inscribed  on  the  mar- 
ble slabs  in  the  columbarium  are  likewise  named  by  Paul. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


The  Arch  of  Titus. — The  Golden  Candlestick  and  Table  of  Show- 
bread. — St.  Peter's  Cathedral.  — The  Bro)ise  Statue. — St.  Paul's 
Church. — The  Portrait  of  our  Lord. 

} f ^ N one  occasion  the  disciples  called  the  attention  of 
our  Lord  to  the  great  buildings  of  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem;  and  as  they  stood  beholding  the  won- 
derful structure,  he  said  to  them:  “See  ye  not  all  these 
things?  Verily  I say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left  here 
one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down.” 
After  this  he  sat  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  with  the  Holy 
City  spread  out  before  him,  and,  calling  his  disciples  to 
him,  gave  them  that  wonderful  prophecy  concerning  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  recorded  by  Matthew,  which,  was 
so  literally  fulfilled  forty-one  years  later. 

When  Christ  spoke  the  words  of  this  prophecy  to  his 
disciples  the  reign  of  Tiberius  was  drawing  to  a close.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Caligula,  who  reigned  four  years  and 
gave  place  to  Claudius,  who  was  succeeded  by  the  tyrant 
Nero  (54-68)  under  whose  reign  occurred  the  first  persecu- 
tion in  Rome,  in  which  Paul,  and,  it  is  supposed,  Peter  also 
suffered  martyrdom.  The  immediate  successors  of  Nero 
were  Galba,  Otho  and  Vitellius,  each  reigning  but  a few 
months.  A change  then  occurred  in  the  reigning  family. 
Vitellius  was  the  last  of  the  Julian  family,  as  the  immediate 
successors  of  Julius  Caesar  were  called.  He  was  succeeded 
by  a soldier  named  Vespasian,  and  it  was  during  his  reign 
67 


68 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


(A.  D.  69-79)  that  his  son  Titus  marched  against  Jerusa- 
lem and,  after  a long  siege,  took  and  completely  destroyed 
the  City  of  David.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that,  from  the 
time  our  Savior  foretold  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  until 
all  his  words  concerning  that  event  were  fulfilled,  seven 
different  emperors  ruled  in*  Rome.  We  refer  to  this  to 
show  what  great  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  Imperial 
City. 

After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  Roman  Senate 
conferred  upon  Titus  divine  honors  and  accorded  him 
a triumphal  entry  into  the  City  of  Rome.  It  was  a grand 
display  in  honor  of  the  conqueror.  At  the  head  of  the 
procession  rode  the  victorious  general,  followed  by  his  vet- 
eran soldiers.  Then  came  the  captives, — men,  women  and 
children, — who  were  to  be  sold  into  a slavery  worse  than 
death.  No  doubt  among  that  band  of  prisoners  who 
marched  through  Rome  that  day  were  some  who  had 
heard  of  the  prophecy  of  Christ  and  had  seen  him  cruci- 
fied. Now,  too  late,  they  realized  what  they  had  done. 
Following  the  captive  Jews  came  the  spoils  of  war.  And 
here  was  to  be  seen  the  furniture  of  Solomon’s  Temple— 
the  golden  candlestick,  the  table  of  showbread  and  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant — all  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  captive 
Jews.  It  must  have  been  an  imposing  spectacle. 

After  this  the  Senate  decreed  that  a triumphal  arch 
should  be  erected  to  commemorate  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem and  the  victory  of  Titus.  This  was  built  in  A.  D.  81, 
and  in  this  structure  we  have  a silent  witness  to  the  truth 
of  the  Bible.  To-day  the  arch  is  standing  across  the  tri- 
umphal way.  It  is  finely  embellished  with  statuary  in  re- 
lief. One  figure  represents  Titus  crowned  by  victory.  But 
the  most  interesting  part  of  the  work  is  a representation  of 
the  triumphal  procession  with  the  captive  Jews,  the  victors 


Arch  of  Titus,  showing  Golden  Candlestick  and  1 able  of  Showbread. 


/ 


♦ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


71 


carrying  the  golden  candlestick  with  seven  branches  and 
the  table  with  the  showbread.  The  work  was  finely 
wrought  in  marble,  and  the  carved  candlestick  agrees 
exactly  with  the  description  given  in  the  Bible.  It  shows 
that  the  artist  had  the  candlestick  before  him  when  he  did 
the  work.  The  features  of  the  men  are  also  of  the  well- 
known  Jewish  type.  Here  is  indisputable  evidence  that 
Titus  destroyed  Jerusalem,  that  he  carried  the  Jews  into 
captivity  and  that  he  brought  the  holy  vessels  and  the 
furniture  of  the  temple  to  Rome. 

We  made  a careful  and  critical  examination  of  this: 
reiic  of  the  past,  and  to  us  it  seems  a wonderful  witness  cf 
the  truth  of  God’s  Book.  As  we  stood  beneath  the  lofty 
arch,  we  thought  of  Hawthorne’s  words,  “ Standing  be- 
neath the  Arch  of  Titus,  and  amid  so  much  dust,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  forbear  the  commonplaces  of  enthusiasm,  on  which 
hundreds  of  tourists  have  already  insisted.  Over  the  half- 
worn  pavement,  and  beneath  this  arch,  the  Roman  armies 
had  trodden  in  their  outward  march,  to  fight  the  battles, 
a world’s  width  away.  Returning  victorious,  with  royal 
captives  and  inestimable  spoil,  a Roman  triumph,  that  most 
gorgeous  pageant  of  earthly  pride,  has  streamed  and  flaunt- 
ed in  hundredfold  succession  over  these  same  flagstones, 
and  through  this  yet  stalwart  archway.” 

CHURCHES  AND  CATHEDRALS. 

Rome  is  a city  of  churches.  There  are  hundreds  of 
them,  ranging  in  splendor  from  St.  Peter’s  Cathedral  down 
to  the  modest  wayside  chapel.  We  have  space  here  to  re- 
fer briefly  to  only  two  of  them, — St.  Peter’s  within  the 
gates,  and  St.  Paul’s  a mile  from  the  city  wall.  Anything 
like  a full  description  of  either  of  these  wonderful  build- 
ings would  require  a volume  instead  of  the  space  we  can 
give  here. 


72 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


St.  Peter’s  Cathedral  stands  near  the  place  where  Paul 
was  beheaded  and  is  on  the  supposed  site  of  Peter’s  cruci- 
fixion. The  first  church  was  built  here  by  Constantine  the 
Great.  The  present  structure  dates  from  the  year  1450 
when  the  reconstruction  of  the  old  church  was  begun  by 
Nicholas.  V;  it  was  dedicated  Nov.  18,  1626.  Additions 
were  made  to  it,  so  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  the  total  cost  of  construction  and  decorations 
amounted  to  over  fifty  million  dollars.  An  addition  to  the 
church  by  Pius  VI,  cost  nearly  one  million  dollars  and  the 
annual  cost  of  its  maintenance  and  repairs  is  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

The  following  measurements  are  given  as  being  ap- 
proximately correct.  Total  length  of  building,  including 
the  portico,  is  six  hundred  and  ninety-six  feet;  the  greatest 
width  in  the  transept,  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet;  the 
height  of  the  ceiling  in  the  central  nave,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  and  from  the  pavement  to  the  summit  of  the 
dome,  four  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet.  The  area  inside 
of  the  walls  is  eighteen  thousand  square  yards,  nearly 
double  that  of  the  next  largest  cathedral  in  the  world. 
The  immense  size  of  the  building  makes  it  the  most  impos- 
ing, and,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  expensive  church 
in  the  world.  A calculation  as  to  the  number  of  people 
who  might  find  standing  room  in  the  church  shows  that,  by 
placing  three  upon  each  square  yard,  fifty-four  thousand 
persons  might  be  crowded  into  the  immense  structure. 

The  interiors  of  many  of  the  great  cathedrals  of 
Europe  are  dark,  damp  and  gloomy.  This  is  true  of  St. 
Paul’s  in  London,  Notre  Dame  in  Paris,  and  the  Cologne 
Cathedral.  To  this  St.  Peter’s  is  a notable  exception.  It 
is  flooded  with  light.  As  you  enter  the  building  the  light 
falls  on  the  many-colored,  polished  marble  floor  and  is  re- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


73 


fleeted  on  rich  walls,  on  columns  of  variegated  marble, 
agate  and  porphyry,  lighting  up  the  richly-coffered,  gild- 
ed ceiling  with  dazzling  effect.  The  first  impression  is  one 
of  bewilderment,  but  as  the  eye  gradually  takes  in  the  vast 
proportions  and  the  beauty  of  the  interior,  and  the  mind 
grasps  the  plan  which  Michael  Angelo,  the  architect, 
wrought  out,  the  beholder  is  filled  with  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment by  the  harmony  and  symmetry  of  its  proportions  and 
the  wondrous  beauty  of  the  building.  The  great  dome 
rests  on  four  huge  columns,  each  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  feet  in  circumference,  and  yet  so  well  are  these  pro- 
portioned that  they  seem  light  and  airy  in  the  huge 
structure. 

Beneath  the  dome,  in  the  center  of  the  church,  is  an 
imposing  bronze  canopy,  ninety-five  feet  in  height,  under 
which  is  the  high  altar.  It  is  said  to  stand  immediately 
over  the  tomb  of  the  Apostle  Peter.  Around  it  are  eighty- 
nine  lamps,  kept  constantly  burning.  Here  the  Pope  of 
Rome  alone  officiates  on  occasions  of  high  church  festivals. 
At  such  times  the  great  building  is  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity.  Here  once  each  year  he  washes,  wipes  and  kiss- 
es the  feet  of  twelve  of  his  cardinals,  selected  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  is  done  in  imitation  of  the  washing  of  the  dis- 
ciples’ feet  by  the  Master.  We  could  not  but  reflect  upon 
the  contrast  between  the  two  scenes. 

At  Jerusalem  in  an  upper  chamber,  borrowed  or  hired 
for  the  occasion,  Jesus  with  the  twelve  sat  down  to  eat  his 
last  supper  with  those  he  loved.  It  was  a humble  little 
group,  poor  in  this  world’s  goods  but  rich  above  all  in 
heavenly  possessions.  He  rose  from  supper  and  washed 
their  feet.  The  Son  of  God  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 
The  Pope  of  Rome  officiates  in  a fifty  million  dollar 
church.  And  here,  amid  all  this  splendor,  robed  in  rich 


74  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

vestments,  sparkling  with  the  costliest  gems,  he  follows  the 
example  of  Christ  and  washes  his  cardinals’  feet.  Could 
there  be  a greater  or  a more  striking  contrast? 

One  thing  more  about  the  cathedral  and  we  leave  it 
Near  the  high  altar  is  a bronze  statue,  said  to  represent 
Peter.  The  figure  is  in  a sitting  posture  and  is  placed  on  a 
marble  throne.  The  right  foot  is  slightly  extended,  or 
rather  what  is  left  of  it,  for  it  is  partly  worn  away.  Every 
faithful  Catholic  who  passed  by  as  we  stood  looking  at  the 
statue  pressed  his  lips  against  the  bronze  foot,  wiping  it  be- 
fore and  after  kissing  it.  Some,  after  kissing,  placed  the 
forehead  against  the  foot  and  offered  a prayer.  Much  kiss- 
ing and  wiping  have  worn  away  the  hard  bronze,  until  the 
toes  are  nearly  all  gone.  Surely,  this  is  zeal  without 
knowledge! 

st.  Paul’s  cathedral. 

We  give  this  splendid  church  a mere  passing  notice. 
One  writer  has  said  that  the  finest  monument  ever  erected 
in  this  world  is  the  church  at  Rome  to  the  memory  of  Paul, 
the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  The  edifice  is  one  vast  hall  of 
fine  marble  and  mosaics,  and  has  been  reared  by  contribu- 
tions from  nearly  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  interior  is 
grand  and  imposing  and  is  nicely  decorated  with  different 
colored  marble.  The  ceiling  is  richly  coffered  and  is  sup- 
ported by  eighty  immense  granite  columns,  beautifully 
polished. 

“ Imperial  splendor  all  the  roof  adorns; 

Whose  vaults  a monarch  built  to  God,  and  graced 
With  golden  hues  the  vast  circumference. 

With  gold  the  beams  he  covered,  that  within 
The  light  might  emulate  the  beams  of  morn.” 

In  this  church  is  to  be  seen  in  mosaics  a head  of  Christ 
after  the  description  of  Isaiah,  “ He  hath  no  form  nor 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  75 

comeliness;  and  when  we  shall  see  him  there  is  no  beauty 
that  we  should  desire  him.”  The  artist  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing a face  without  a single  line  of  beauty  in  it. 

After  visiting  these  magnificent  structures  we  have 
many  reflections.  Two  thoughts  were  especially  impressed 
upon  the  mind. 

1.  Here  are  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  spent  in 
extravagant  display,  and  within  easy  distance  of  St.  Peter’s, 
thousands  of  people  are  suffering  for  the  necessaries  of  life. 
At  the  doorways  of  these  costly  structures  every  visitor 
is  beset  by  beggars  who  depend  upon  the  generosity  of 
strangers  for  bread.  There  seems  to  be  something  radical- 
ly wrong  with  a system  that  produces  such  striking  con- 
trasts in  the  lives  of  its  followers.  Splendor,  magnificence, 
lavish  display,  untold  extravagance  within:  beggary,  hun- 
ger, starvation  without. 

2.  If  the  piety  of  a people,  and  the  correctness  of 
their  beliefs  were  to  be  measured  by  the  amount  of  money 
they  give,  then  these  must  stand  very  high,  for  see  the  fab- 
ulous sums  spent  here  in  the  construction  of  these  great 
churches.  We  have  referred  to  two,  and  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  them.  It  is  true  that  piety  and  faith  can  not  be 
measured  in  that  way,  but  the  zeal  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  can  be.  And  they  put  to  shame  many  who  give  so 
sparingly  to  the  church  of  their  choice.  We  profess,  as  a 
people,  to  follow  the  Master  in  all  his  teachings,  and  we 
believe  we  are  right.  Let  us  show  our  zeal  and  earnest- 
ness, not  in  building  stately  and  magnificent  churches  but 
in  spreading  the  Gospel  and  in  keeping  the  poor.  A man, 
rich  in  this  world’s  goods,  can  only  be  saved  from  degrada- 
tion and  ruin  by  a liberal  benevolence. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


/6 

THE  PORTRAIT  OF  OUR  LORD. 

The  accompanying  portrait  of  our  Savior  is  from  a 
photograph  purchased  in  Cologne,  Germany,  several  years 
ago.  The  face  has  about  it  a wondrous  beauty.  The  fol- 
lowing words  are  printed  beneath  the  portrait:  “ Das  einzige 
riclitige  Portrait  unseres  Hcilandcs  Jcsit  Christi.”  On  the 
back  of  the  card  is  printed  in  German  a sketch  of  the 
painting  from  which  the  photograph  was  taken.  Translat- 
ed it  reads  as  follows: 

“ THE  ONLY  TRUE  PORTRAIT  OF  OUR  SAVIOR. 

“The  picture  on  the  other  side  is  the  copy  of  a cut  in 
emerald,  which  was  made  at  the  order  of  the  Emperor  Ti- 
berius and  kept  in  the  treasury  at  Constantinople.  Later 
on,  the  original  was  used  by  the  Emperor  of  the  Turks  as  a 
ransom  for  his  brother  who  had  at  the  time,  under  Pope  In- 
nocent V,  been  captured  by  the  Christians.  The  faithful- 
ness of  the  picture  is  shown  through  Publius  Lentulus,  at 
that  time  governor  of  Judea,  in  whose  writings  to  the 
senate  and  the  Roman  people  a passage  is  found  of  which 
the  following  is  a translation: 

“‘There  has  appeared  in  these  days  a very  virtuous 
man,  Jesus  Christ  by  name,  who  is  still  living  among  us  and 
is  looked  upon  as  a prophet  by  the  heathens,  but  by  his 
own  disciples  he  is  called  Son  of  God.  He  raises  people 
from  the  dead  and  heals  all  kinds  of  disease.  A man  of 
somewhat  tall  and  imposing  stature  and  of  very  venerable 
appearance,  so  that  those  who  see  him  are  led  both  to  fear 
and  to  love  him.  His  hair  has  the  color  of  a fully  ripened 
hazelnut,  almost  smooth  down  to  the  ears;  from  there  on 
it  is  somewhat  curled,  flowing  over  his  shoulders,  and  of 
•more  nearly  oriental  color;  after  the  manner  of  the  Naza- 
renes  it  is  parted  in  the  middle.  His  forehead  is  free  and 
smooth,  his  face  without  spots  or  wrinkles,  beautiful,  of  a 
pleasing  red.  Nose  and  mouth  have  a form  with  which  no 


I 


Portrait  of  our  Savior. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


79 


fault  can  be  found.  The  beard  is  full,  its  color  matching 
well  with  that  of  the  hair,  not  very  long.  His  eyes  are 
gray,  clear  and  full  of  life;  his  body  is  well  formed  and 
firmly  built,  his  hands  and  arms  in  good  proportion.  In 
censure  he  is  terrible,  in  admonition  kind  and  fascinating, 
in  his  speech  temperate,  wise  and  modest,  joined  with 
dignity.  No  one  can  recall  that  lie  has  seen  him  laugh,  but 
many  have  seen  him  weep.’ 

“A  man  surpassing  the  children  of  men  in  his  singular 
beauty.” 

The  traveler  in  Europe  will  find,  in  many  of  the  shops 
where  pictures  are  sold,  numerous  so-called  portraits  of  our 
Savior.  In  price  they  range  from  a few  pennies  for  the 
cheaper  lithographs  to  large  sums  of  money  for  the  beau- 
tiful copies,  in  oil  colors,  of  the  masterpieces  of  Guido, 
Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael.  It  is  said  that  Raphael’s 
head  of  Christ  in  the  great  transfiguration  scene  has  never 
been  equaled.  The  face  has  a glorified  beauty  about  it  that 
is  marvelous.  At  a very  early  date  the  artists  made  many 
attempts  to  depict  the  features  of  the  Savior  and  the  result 
is  an  immense  number  of  portraits. 

The  question,  Is  there  an  authentic  portrait  of  our 
Lord  in  existence?  is  of  more  than  common  interest.  The 
Roman  Catholic  church  claims  that  there  is;  but  this  claim 
is  not  well  founded,  and  many  of  the  portraits  purporting 
to  represent  the  face  of  our  Savior  are  nothing  more  than 
pious  frauds.  While  in  the  Imperial  City  we  had  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  to  carefully  examine  the  subject.  We  saw 
and  secured  a number  of  the  so-called  portraits,  and  one 
needs  only  to  compare  them,  and  see  the  difference  be- 
tween them,  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that,  to  say  the  very 
least,  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  there  is  a true  representa- 
tion of  the  head  of  our  Savior  in  existence. 


8o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


We  were  also  fortunate,  during  our  stay  in  Rome,  to 
receive  some  very  valuable  information  on  this  subject 
from  Dr.  Forbes,  and  we  propose  to  give  to  our  readers  the 
benefit  of  the  researches  made  by  him  on  this,  subject. 
The  information  here  given  may  be  considered  as  entirely 
reliable,  and  is  well  worth  a careful  study.  It  is  the  result 
o:  a long,  careful,  painstaking  investigation  of  the  entire 
question: 

“It  may  seem  strange  to  many  that  none  of  the  Lord’s 
disciples  describe  his  appearance,  although  there  are  pre- 
tended descriptive  portraits  of  him,  written  at  a later  date. 
Isaiah  foretells  his  appearance,  and  his  are  the  only  refer- 
ences in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  that  tell  us  what  the  Son 
of  Man  was  like  personally.  ‘ His  visage  was  so  marred 
more  than  any  man,  and  his  form  more  than  the  sons  of 
men.’  52:  14.  ‘ He  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness;  and 
when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should 
desire  him.’  53:  2. 

“This  was  exactly  the  way  in  which  the  early  Byzan- 
tine artists  portrayed  Christ,  as  for  example  in  the  fifth 
century  mosaic  on  the  arch  of  triumph  in  the  church  of  St. 
Paul  without  the  walls. 

“ Lampridius,  in  his  life  of  Alexander  Severus,  speaks 
of  that  emperor  having  a bust  of  Christ  in  the  chapel  of  his 
household  gods.  This  proves  that  portraits  of  our  Savior, 
either  true  or  ideal,  were  existing  in  the  third  century. 
St.  John  Damascenus,  in  the  eighth  century,  speaks  of  a 
portrait  that  Constantine  had  done  from  a supposed  ‘ de- 
scription of  Christ,  written  to  the  Roman  Senate  by  Publi- 
us Lentulus,  proconsul  of  Judea  before  Herod.’  We  have 
failed  to  trace  any  such  proconsul,  but  it  is  the  oldest  de- 
scription of  the  Lord  extant,  most  probably  late  in  the  sec- 
ond century  when  all  sorts  of  apocryphal  writings  were  cir- 
culated; 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


8l 


“‘At  this  time  appeared  a man  who  is  still  living  and 
endowed  with  mighty  power;  his  name  is  Jesus  Christ. 
His  disciples  call  him  the  Son  of  God;  others  regard  him 
as  a powerful  prophet.  He  raises  the  dead  to  life  and 
heals  the  sick  of  every  description  of  infirmity  and  disease. 
This  man  is  of  lofty  stature  and  well  proportioned;  his 
countenance,  severe  and  virtuous,  so  that  he  inspires  be- 
holders with  feelings  both  of  fear  and  love.  The  hair  of 
his  head  is  of  the  color  of  wine,  and  from  the  top  of  the 
head  to  the  ears,  straight  and  without  radiance,  but  it  de- 
scends from  the  ears  to  the  shoulders  in  shining  curls. 
From  the  shoulders  the  hair  flows  down  the  back,  divided 
into  two  portions,  after  the  manner  of  the  Nazarenes;  his 
forehead  is  clear  and  without  wrinkle,  his  face  free  from 
blemish,  and  slightly  tinged  with  red,  his  physiognomy 
noble  and  gracious.  The  nose  and  mouth  faultless,  his 
beard  is  abundant,  the  same  color  as  the  hair  and 
forked.  His  eyes  blue  and  very  brilliant.  In  reproving  or 
censuring,  he  is  awe-inspiring;  in  exhorting  and  teaching, 
his  speech  is  gentle  and  caressing.  His  countenance  is 
marvelous  in  seriousness  and  grace.  He  has  never  once 
been  seen  to  laugh;  but  many  have  seen  him  weep.  He  is 
slender  in  person,  has  hands  straight  and  long,  his  arms 
beautiful.  Grave  and  solemn  in  his  discourse,  his  language 
is  simple  and  quiet.  He  is,  in  appearance,  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  the  children  of  men.’ — Codex  Apocryphus  Nov.  Test, 
ab  Fabricium,  iyoj,  pt.  i,  page  joi. 

“ In  the  Apocryphal  New  Testament  there  are  epistles 
supposed  to  have  been  written  by  Jesus  and  Abgarus,  King 
of  Edessa.  They  are  quoted  by  Eusebius,  and  John  Da- 
mascenus  adds  that  ‘Abgarus  charged  his  messenger  to 
employ  some  artist  to  make  a portrait  of  our  Lord  Jesus, 
from  whom  nothing  is  hidden,  and  to  whom  nothing  is  im- 
possible. Being  aware  of  the  intention  of  Abgarus  he  took 
a piece  of  linen,  applied  it  to  his  face,  and  depicted  there- 
on his  own  image.  This  very  portrait  is  in  existence  at  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


present  day,  and  in  perfect  preservation.’  We  remember 
photographs  of  this  pretended  portrait  being  sold  in  Lon- 
don some  years  ago.  It  was  said  to  be  preserved  in  the 
church  of  Silvestro  in  Capite,  Rome,  till  1870  when  it  was 
removed  to  the  Vatican.  In  S.  Prassede  is  a miniature  on 
a texture,  but  the  features  are  obliterated;  it  shows  a figure 
in  outline  down  to  the  waist.  This  is  also  claimed  to  have 
been  sent  by  Christ  to  Abgarus.  This  naturally  reminds  us 
of  the  story  of  St.  Veronica,  who  is  said  to  have  wiped  the 
Savior’s  face  on  his  way  to  Golgotha,  and  that  the  impres- 
sion of  his  features  remained  on  her  handkerchief.  This  is 
displayed  on  grand  occasions  at  St..  Peter’s,  and  facsimiles 
can  be  bought  in  the  Roman  shops.  We  may  also  consider 
as  of  the  second  century  the  rare  bronze  medal  upon  which 
the  Lord’s  profile  is  engraved.  This  medallion  was  ex- 
hibited in  Rome,  in  the  time  of  Pope  Julius  II,  and  has 
been  discussed  by  various  writers  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  though  its  story  is  comparatively  lit- 
tle known  now.  It  will  be  found  engraved  and  described 
in  the  Rev.  R.  Walsh’s  essay  on  ancient  coins,  1828,  he  hav- 
ing bought  it  of  a Jew  at  Rostock.  In  1700  one  was  dug  up 
at  the  ancient  circus  of  Brin-gwin  in  Wales,  and  sent  by 
.Rowland  to  Luid,  at  the  Ashmolean  Museum  at  Oxford, 
but  it  was  lost  in  transit.  Another  was  found  in  1812  at 
Friarswalk,  in  Cork.  The  style  of  this  medallion  shows 
that  it  can  not  be  later  than  the  age  of  the  Antonines,  say 
A.  D.  180;  it  was  not  a piece  of  money,  but  a talisman  to  be 
worn  as  a charm.  One  impression,  in  the  possession  of 
Mrs.  T.  W.  Vessey,  Bristol,  has  a hole  in  it,  so  that  it  could 
be  suspended  round  the  neck. 

“The  reverse  of  the  medal  has  written,  in  Hebrew 
characters,  in  five  lines,  ‘The  Messiah  has  reigned,  he  came 
in  peace,  and,  being  made  the  Light  of  man,  he  lives.’  On 
the  obverse  is  the  head  of  our  Lord  in  profile,  to  the  left, 
as  described  by  Lentulus.  On  the  left  field  is  written,  in 
Hebrew,  Jesus,  and  on  the  right,  the  letter  aleph,  the  ini- 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands.  3 3 

tial  of  Adonar,  Lord.  The  portrait  on  this  medallion  has 
become  received  in  western  art  as  the  type  likeness  of 
Christ,  the  Byzantine  artists  making  their  heads  of  Jesus 
more  round,  of  which  there  are  many  specimens  in  the  mo- 
saics of  Rome.  We  are  rather  inclined  to  think  that  the 
letter  of  Lentulus  and  the  medallion  are  of  the  same  origin, 
and  made  to  fit  one  another.  The  Christians  of  the  first 
and  early  part  of  the  second  century  certainly  had  no  por- 
traits of  Christ,  the  Jewish  influence  and  the  second  com- 
mandment would  prohibit  that. 

“ We  now  come  back  to  the  first  century,  to  the  days  of 
the  Messiah,  to  inquire  if  any  portrait  of  our  Lord  was 
made  in  his  lifetime;  and  if  so,  if  any  trace  of  it  is  existing. 
We  think  it- improbable  that  any  of  the  apostles  should 
have  painted  the  features  of  Jesus,  and  those  paintings,  at- 
tributed to  St.  Luke,  are  pious  frauds.  Of  all  these,  and 
there  are  many,  that  at  the  Scala  Sancta  is  said  to  have 
been  done  by  St.  Luke  in  outline,  and  that  invisible  hands 
filled  in  the  coloring  during  his  absence  from  the  studio. 
It  is  a late  Byzantine  portrait,  a pear-shaped  head  with 
beard  and  mustache.  Wood-cuts  and  photographs  of  it  are 
sold  at  the  Scala  Sancta. 

“ Eusebius,  bishop  of  Cesarea,  in  the  days  of  Constan- 
tine, speaks  of  having  seen  ‘ representations  of  the  Apos- 
tles Peter  and  Paul,  and  of  Christ  himself,  still  preserved  in 
paintings.’  He  also  speaks  of  a statue  of  Jesus  at  Cesarea 
Philippi,  as  follows:  ‘They  say  that  the  woman  who  had  an 
issue  of  blood,  mentioned  by  the  evangelists,  and  who  ob- 
tained deliverance  from  her  affliction  by  our  Savior,  was  a 
native  of  this  place,  and  that  her  house  is  shown  in  the 
city,  and  the  wonderful  monuments  of  our  Savior’s  benefit 
to  her  are  still  remaining.  At  the  gates  of  her  house,  on 
an  elevated  stone,  stands  a bronze  image  of  a woman  on 
her  bended  knee,  with  her  hands  stretched  out  before  her 
like  one  entreating.  Opposite  to  this  there  is  another 
bronze  statue  of  a man,  erect,  decently  clad  in  a mantle 


84 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  stretching  out  his  hand  to  the  woman.  Before  her 
feet,  and  on  the  same  pedestal,  there  is  a certain  strange 
plant  growing,  which,  rising  as  high  as  the  hem  of  the 
brazen  garment,  is  a kind  of  antidote  to  all  kinds  of  diseas- 
es. This  statue,  they  say,  is  a statue  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  it 
has  remained  even  until  our  times;  so  that  we  ourselves  saw 
it  whilst  tarrying  in  that  city.’  (Eusebius  E.  H.  VII,  18.) 
Sozomen  also  speaks  of  it  and  says,  ‘Julian  commanded  it 
to  be  taken  down,  and  a statue  of  himself  to  be  erected  in 
its  place;  but  fire  from  heaven  was  poured  down  upon  Ju- 
lian’s statue,  and  the  head  and  breast  were  broken,  and  it 
was  thrown  to  the  ground  with  the  face  downwards;  it  is 
still  to  be  seen  on  the  spot  where  it  fell,  blackened  by  the 
effects  of  the  lightning.  The  statue  of  Christ  was  dragged 
round  the  city  and  mutilated  by  the  Pagans;  but  the  Chris- 
tians recovered  the  fragments  and  deposited  the  statue  in 
the  church  in  which  it  is  still  preserved.’  (E.  Id.  V.,  21.) 

“There  is  nothing  unreasonable  in  believing  that  the 
woman  did  erect  the  group  which  Eusebius  says  he  saw, 
and  we  may  presume  that  the  artist  would  make  the  Lord’s 
likeness  as  the  woman  described  it.  It  has  not  been  exist- 
ing for  very  many  years,  for  Sozomen  speaks  of  its  destruc- 
tion, but  a marble  relief  of  the  fourth  century,  depicting 
the  scene  at  Cesarea,  exists  in  the  Lateran  Christian  Muse- 
um. On  the  left  at  the  top  of  the  hall  of  Sarcophagi  is  one 
under  a canopy;  at  one  end  of  it  is  the  scene  of  Peter  deny- 
ing Christ,  with  buildings  in  the  background;  and  at  the 
other  end  is  the  woman  and  our  Lord,  also  with  buildings 
in  the  background,  as  described  above  by  Eusebius.  One 
of  these  is  evidently  the  woman’s  house,  a church  and  bap- 
tistry is  also  shown,  evidently  the  scene  at  Cesarea.  We 
believe  the  group  in  relief  to  be  a copy  of  the  bronze  one 
at  Cesarea,  and  so  this  would  represent  the  oldest  portrait 
of  our  Lord;  and  it  agrees  with  the  bronze  medallion  de- 
scribed above. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


85 


“ The  figures  of  our  Lord  in  the  early  sculpture  work 
invariably  depict  him  as  a young  man,  as  for  example  in 
the  scene  with  Peter  at  the  other  end  of  the  above  cited 
sarcophagus,  but  the  figure  in  the  relief  with  the  woman  is 
of  the  received  type  as  described  by  Lentulus.  We  consid- 
er that  the  relief  and  medal  hand  down  to  us,  perhaps 
roughly,  the  features  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  heads  of  Christ 
in  the  catacombs  are  not  earlier  than  the  ninth  century,  and 
they  follow  the  type  at  St.  Paul’s  with  an  attempt  to  beau- 
tify it  in  accordance  with  the  decree  of  Adrian  I,  772-95, 
that  ‘Christ  should  be  represented  under  as  beautiful  a 
form  as  art  could  display.’  ” 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  we  are  fully 
justified  in  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  authentic  por- 
trait of  our  Lord  in  existence.  Some  of  the  older  portraits, 
made  after  the  description  by  Lentulus,  may,  in  a general 
way,  give  us  some  of  his  features,  but  as  a rule  the  later 
paintings  are  largely  drawn  from  the  imagination  of  the  ar- 
tists themselves. 

At  this  writing,  Dec.  16,  we  are  in  the  City  of  Naples. 
In  a few  days  we  take  the  Steamer  Rosetta  for  Port  Said, 
Egypt.  From  there  we  go  to  Suez,  and  to  the  route  of  the 
Exodus  of  the  Children  of  Israel  from  Egypt.  Then, 
crossing  over  the  Land  of  Goshen,  we  go  to  Cairo,  hoping 
to  reach  the  latter  place  on  Christmas  Day.  We  are  both 
enjoying  excellent  health.  The  Lord  has  abundantly 
blessed  us,  and  we  give  him  thanks  and  praise. 


CHAPTER  V. 


From  Rome  to  Naples. — Mount  Vesuvius. — An  Eruption. 


ROM  Rome  we  journey  by  rail  to  Naples,  a distance 
(nnna  of  some  two  hundred  miles.  After  leaving  the  Im- 


perial  City  the  road  crosses  the  Tiber  and  passes 
the  ruins  of  the  old  aqueduct  and  the  tombs  along  the  Ap- 
pian  Way.  After  crossing  the  Campagna  we  pass  through 
a rough,  hilly  country,  given  up  almost  entirely  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  vine,  and  finally  reach  Naples,  the  largest 
city  in  Italy,  with  a population  of  about  half  a million. 
The  city  is  built  around  about  the  bay  of  the  same  name, 
and  has  always  been  noted  for  the  beauty  of  its  situation. 

The  chief  attractions  of  the  place  are  Mount  Vesuvius, 
Pompeii  and  Herculaneum,  all  within  easy  distance  of  the 
city.  The  peculiar  customs  of  the  place  are  very  striking 
and  interesting  to  the  traveler.  Our  first  walk  through  the 
city  was  in  the  early  morning.  We  noticed  flocks  of  goats 
being  driven  about  the  streets  and  found  that  many  fami- 
lies receive  their  supply  of  milk  from  these  animals.  They 
are  driven  from  door  to  door  and  up  the  stairways  to  the 
upper  stories  of  the  houses  where  they  are  milked  while  the 
customer  stands  by  and  waits  for  his  supply  of  the  rich, 
lacteal  fluid. 

Cows  are  also  driven  about  the  streets  and  milked  at 
the  doors  of  those  who  buy  the  milk.  There  are  two  ad- 
vantages in  this  system:  it  does  away  with  milk  wagons, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


87 


and  the  people  of  Naples,  it  would  seem,  are  sure  that  they 
get  pure  milk  without  the  addition  of  chalk  and  water, 
which,  it  is  said,  are  sometimes  served  to  customers  in  our 
large  cities  at  home.  But  appearances  are  deceptive.  The 
milkmen  of  Naples  carry  water  in  rubber  bags 'secreted  un- 
der the  folds  of  their  coats.  A small  tube  passing  down 
beneath  the  sleeve  of  the  garment  is  so  manipulated  that  a 
quantity  of  water  is  allowed  to  run  into  the  can  while  the 
process  of  milking  is  going  on.  Some  of  the  customers, 
aware  of  the  tricks  of  the  milkmen,  do  the  milking  them- 
selves, and  thus  get  pure  milk. 

Mount  Vesuvius,  one  of  the  most  noted  volcanoes  in 
the  world,  rises  in  isolated  majesty  near  the  Bay  of  Naples. 
It  is  something  over  four  thousand  feet  from  the  sea  level 
to  the  top  of  its  cone,  in  the  center  of  which  is  the  great 
crater.  In  ancient  times,  according  to  Strabo,  Vesuvius 
“ was  covered  with  beautiful  meadows,  with  the  exception 
of  the  summit.  The  latter  is,  indeed,  for  the  most  part  lev- 
el, but  quite  sterile;  for  it  has  an  appearance  like  ashes,  and 
shows  rugged  rocks  of  sooty  consistency  and  color,  as  if 
they  had  been  consumed  by  fire.”  During  the  reign  of  Ne- 
ro, A.  D.  63,  a fearful  earthquake  occurred,  and  sixteen 
years  later,  in  the  reign  of  Titus,  nine  years  after  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  the  great  volcanic  eruption  oc- 
curred, which  overwhelmed  all  the  cities  in  the  plain  and 
converted  the  beautiful  meadows  into  sterile  wastes  of  ash- 
es and  lava.  Since  then  the  mountain  has  been  an  active 
volcano.  The  greatest  eruption  in  recent  times  occurred  in 
April,  1872.  The  lava  burst  forth  on  every  side,  running 
down  the  mountain  in  a molten  stream.  A number  of  per- 
sons were  overtaken  and  destroyed  by  the  liquid  stream  of 
fire.  A writer  who  witnessed  the  eruption  says:  “At  the 
same  time,  amidst  terrific  thundering,  the  crater  poured 


88 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


forth  huge  volumes  of  smoke,  mingled  with  red-hot  stones 
and  lava,  to  a height  of  four  thousand  feet;  whilst  clouds  of 
ashes,  rising  to  double  that  height,  were  carried  by  the 
wind  as  far  as  Cosenza,  a distance  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles.  The  lava  emitted  during  this  eruption  covers  an 
area  of  two  square  miles,  and  averages  thirteen  feet  in 
depth.” 

The  distance  from  Naples  to  the  foot  of  the  great  cone 
is  fifteen  and  one-half  miles,  and  from  this  point  a wire 
rope  railway  conveys  the  traveler  upward  nine  hundred 
yards  to  the  foot  of  the  upper  cone.  From  the  upper  sta- 
tion we  climbed  along  a well-constructed  path  to  the  rim 
of  the  crater.  We  made  two  attempts  to  reach  the  top  of 
the  mountain  and  succeeded  in  getting  a good  view  of 
the  crater  on  Dec.  15.  Soon  after  leaving  the  upper  sta- 
tion, we  noticed  light  wreaths  of  smoke  issuing  from  the 
crevices  along  our  upward  pathway.  A rumbling  noise,  re- 
sembling distant  thunder,  was  heard  at  regular  intervals 
and  we  had  an  indistinct  feeling  that  the  mountain  quaked. 
Our  guide  said,  “ He,”  meaning  the  volcano,  “working;  but 
he  no  dangare.”  As  we  continued  our  upward  course  the 
smoke  increased  and  the  strong  fumes  of  sulphur  emitted 
were  decidedly  unpleasant.  At  one  place  a hole  in  the 
rock  was  emitting  smoke  in  puffs.  We  put  our  hand  in  but 
removed  it  at  once;  it  was  quite  hot. 

At  this  point  the  explosions,  which  occur  at  regular  in- 
tervals in  the  crater,  could  be  very  distinctly  heard  and  the 
tremor  of  the  mountain  felt.  Still  higher  the  smoke  and 
sulphur  grew  thicker,  and  we  were  compelled  to  cover 
mouth  and  nose  with  handkerchiefs.  At  last  we  reached 
the  rim  of  the  crater,  and  looking  down,  we  beheld  a fear- 
ful sight.  We  thought  of  the  bottomless  pit.  As  we  stood 
looking  into  the  awful  abyss,  there  came  a terrific  explo 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


89 


sion.  The  mountain  shook,  great  masses  of  stone  and  lava 
were  thrown  high  into  the  air  and  fell  back  again  into  the 
restless  crater.  Great  tongues  of  bright-red  flames  burst 
through  the  dense  volumes  of  smoke  that  rolled  upward 
from  the  pit.  The  scene  was  a frightful  one  and  our  curi- 
osity to  see  a volcano  at  work  was  fully  gratified  in  a very 
short  time.  The  guide  continued  to  assure  us  there  was  no 
“ dangare,”  but  we  went  away  to  a point  of  greater  security, 
where  we  watched  the  explosions  for  some  time. 

One  of  the  lessons  here  impressed  was  our  own  little- 
ness and  helplessness.  What  wonderful  powers  God  has 
stored  away  in  the  forces  of  nature!  Man,  standing  in  the 
presence  of  the  manifestation  of  this  mighty  power,  is  less 
than  a worm  of  the  dust.  Behold  the  Lord  toucheth  “the 
mountains,  and  they  shall  smoke.  He  looketh  on  the 
earth,  and  it  trembleth:  he  toucheth  the  hills,  and  they 
smoke.”  The  smoking  mountain  and  the  trembling  earth 
seen  and  felt  this  day  shall  never  be  forgotten.  Well  may 
man  say,  “ Lord,  make  me  to  know  mine  end,  and  the  meas- 
ure of  my  days,  what  it  is;  that  I may  know  how  frail  I 
am.” 

POMPEII. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  August,  A.  D.  79,  the  resi- 
dents of  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  and  the  other  cities  and 
villages  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Vesuvius,  were  startled 
by  a terrific  eruption  of  the  mountain.  A great  column  of 
smoke  and  ashes  rose  high  in  the  air  and  spread  out  in  the 
shape  of  a dense  black  cloud;  the  light  of  the  sun  was  to- 
tally obscured,  and  in  a short  time  a dense  shower  of  ash- 
es fell  upon  the  doomed  cities.  When  the  eruption  ended, 
Pompeii  was  covered  with  ashes  and  small  stone  to  a depth 
of  twenty  feet.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  fled  at  the  first 
alarm  and  escaped.  Others  remained  to  remove  their  val- 


90 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


uables  and  perished.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  two  thou- 
sand perished  in  the  ruins  of  their  homes.  Years  rolled 
into  centuries  and  the  name  and  site  of  the  city  passed  from 
the  memory  of  man.  More  than  sixteen  hundred  years 
went  by  and  the  city  was  rediscovered,  and  at  this  time 
about  one-half  of  the  buried  city  has  been  uncovered.  The 
work  of  excavation  is  carried  on  by  the  Italian  Govern- 
ment, and  it  is  estimated  that  at  the  present  rate  of  progress 
it  will  be  sixty  years  before  the  entire  city  is  excavated. 

When  the  city  was  buried  it  was  full  of  life  and  activ- 
ity, and  in  the  excavation  many  things  are  found  as  they 
were  left  on  that  terrible  day  in  August.  We  walked 
through  the  streets  of  the  excavated  city,  which  are  paved 
with  blocks  of  stone.  In  many  places  deep  ruts  are  worn 
into  the  pavements,  showing  that  the  Pompeiians  drove 
through  their  streets  with  chariots  and  carts.  The  houses 
and  shops  are,  in  many  places,  remarkably  well  preserved. 
Here  is  a baker’s  shop.  The  ovens  are  still  preserved  and 
in  one  of  them  eighty-one  loaves  of  bread  were  found,  on 
some  of  which  the  baker’s  name  was  stamped.  The  loaves 
are  still  well  preserved,  and  we  see  the  bread  that  was 
placed  in  the  oven  A.  D.  79  and  taken  out  only  a few  years 
ago.  Connected  with  the  baker’s  shop  are  mills  for  grind- 
ing grain,  and  in  them  was  found  grain  of  various  kinds, 
left  there  when  the  slaves  who  turned  the  mills  fled  for  a 
place  of  safety. 

The  articles  found  are  placed  in  a large  building  for 
safe  keeping,  and  here  they  may  be  examined  and  studied. 
Here  one  can  form  a good  idea  of  the  home  life  of  the 
Pompeiians,  as  almost  everything  used  in  domestic  life  can 
be  seen:  articles  of  food,  all  kinds  of  grain,  fruit,  such  as 
figs,  dates,  etc.,  oil,  well  preserved  in  glass  bottles,  the  re- 
mains of  household  furniture,  iron  money  chests,  in  shape 


/ated  Street  in  Pompeii,  showing  Ruts  of  Chariot  Wheels. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


93 


resembling  the  modern  iron  safe,  tools  of  various  kinds  and 
shapes,  fishing-hooks,  just  the  same  as  we  use  to-day,  sur- 
gical instruments,  and  ornaments  of  all  kinds,  such  as  jew- 
els, bracelets,  rings  and  chains,  in  great  abundance. 

Among  the  many  interesting  objects  to  be  seen  at 
Pompeii,  none  are  more  wonderful  than  the  plaster  casts  of 
objects  found  in  the  ashes  which  enveloped  and  covered  up 
the  city.  These  consist  of  human  bodies,  the  bodies  of  an- 
imals, and  other  perishable  objects.  The  following  expla- 
nation will  give  our  readers  an  idea  as  to  how  the  casts  of 
the  various  objects  found  are  obtained. 

The  first  layer  of  matter  that  fell  upon  the  city  was 
fine  ashes,  and  it  completely  covered  up  the  lower  part  of 
the  houses.  It  was  so  fine  that  it  permeated  every  crack 
and  crevice.  It  was  finer  than  ordinary  domestic  dust,  and 
enveloped  the  substances  completely.  Rolfe  says,*  It  will 
be  readily  understood  that  it  made  an  equal  pressure  all 
around  them,  and  that  they  were  consequently  as  com- 
pletely surrounded  as  if  they  had  been  immersed  in  water. 

The  substances  and  objects  thus  covered  made  an  ex- 
act mould  of  their  forms  in  the  ashes,  which  hardened  a 
short  time  after  their  fall.  Thus  the  form  was  most  accu- 
rately preserved.  An  object  buried  in  a snow-drift  makes 
an  exact  mould  in  the  snow.  This  gives  an  accurate  idea 
of  the  process  by  which  the  moulds  of  objects  were  formed 
in  the  ashes  that  covered  up  Pompeii. 

Our  readers  will  readily  understand  that  all  that  was 
perishable  in  the  substances  buried  crumbled  to  dust  in  the 
lapse  of  centuries.  That  is  to  say,  the  clothes  and  flesh  of 
the  victims,  the  woodwork  of  the  doors  and  the  willow  of 
the  baskets  have  all  completely  vanished;  but  the  parts 

*We  give  an  abridged  account  of  the  process  found  in  Rolfe's  excellent  work  on 
Pompeii. 


94 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


less  liable  to  decay  remain,  such  as  the  iron  and  the  bronze 
work  of  the  doors  and  the  bones  and  ornaments  of  the  hu- 
man subjects.  These  all  remained  exactly  as  they  were 
then  covered,  and  held  their  original  places  in  an  accurate 
mould  which  the  falling  ashes  made  around  them.  We 
think  this  will  be  understood  by  our  readers. 

The  next  process  is  more  simple.  When  the  excava- 
tors come  to  one  of  these  moulds,  which  is  made  apparent 
in  the  rise  of  the  layer  of  ashes,  a slight  opening  is  made 
into  the  cavity  and  liquid  plaster  of  Paris  is  poured  in  and 
allowed  to  remain  undisturbed  until  it  thoroughly  hardens. 
The  external  mould  of  ashes  is  then  removed  and  an  exact 
cast  of  the  object  is  thus  obtained,  all  that  was  perishable 
being  now  replaced  by  the  plaster  of  Paris,  and  all  that  did 
not  decay  being  firmly  fixed  in  the  plaster,  and  in  its  orig- 
inal place. 

In  this  way  the  exact  form  and  even  the  features  of 
men  and  women  who  perished  here  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago  are  as  well  preserved  as  if  they  had  been  cut  in  imper- 
ishable marble.  In  some  of  the  faces,  and  in  the  positions 
of  the  bodies,  is  to  be  seen  the  evidence  of  intense  suffer- 
ing. We  might  devote  this  entire  letter  to  these  interest- 
ing objects,  but  refer  to  only  a few  of  them. 

The  first  is  the  form  of  a Roman  soldier,  found  at  one 
of  the  gates  of  the  city,  where  he  was  standing  on  guard 
when  the  eruption  came,  and,  instead  of  fleeing,  fell  at  his 
post,  true  to  the  instincts  of  the  Romans.  This  incident  is 
often  referred  to  as  an  example  of  faithfulness  and  fidelity. 

Another  is  that  of  a slave,  evidently  an  African.  The 
nose  and  lips  clearly  indicate  the  negro  type,  and  the  im- 
print of  the  curly  hair  is  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  folds  of 
his  clothing  show  with  remarkable  cfearness.  The  right 
hand  is  firmly  clasped  and  the  expression  of  the  mouth  and 


Cut  from  Mould  of  Human  Figure  found  in  Pompeii. 


. 


' 

■ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  97 

face  shows  intense  agony.  The  left  hand  grasps  his  belt 
and  the  lower  limbs  are  extended. 

The  form  of  a dog,  that  was  found  tied  to  his  kennel,  is 
remarkably  well  preserved.  The  poor  animal  was  tied,  but 
had  trodden  the  falling  ashes  under  his  feet  till  the  length 
of  his  chain  prevented  him  from  getting  any  further,  when 
he  died,  on  his  back,  in  great  agony.  His  mouth  is  open 
and  his  legs  are  extended.  The  form  is  perfect. 

Among  other  objects  preserved  in  this  way  are  a num- 
ber of  doors  of  the  houses,  and  here  is  the  first  example  of 
a panel  door  known.  From  the  fact  that  the  center  pieces 
form  a cross  it  is  believed  that  it  came  from  the  house  of  a 
Christian,  for  it  is  well  known  that,  before  the  destruction 
of  Pompeii,  Christianity  had  found  converts  in  Italy.  Pu- 
teoli,  where  Paul  landed,  is  only  a few  miles  across  the  bay 
from  the  ruined  city.  If  there  were  brethren  at  Paul’s  land- 
ing-place,  it  is  only  fair  to  assume  that  seventeen  years  lat- 
er there  were  brethren  in  Pompeii.  The  author  of  “The 
Last  Days  of  Pompeii  ” takes  this  view,  and  we  believe  he 
is  correct. 

THE  MORALS  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

The  brethren  in  Pompeii  found  a terrible  state  of  af- 
fairs in  the  moral  and  social  depravity  of  the  people.  In 
Paul’s  Epistle  to  the  Romans  is  found  a characterization  of 
the  people  of  that  city,  and  the  first  chapter  of  that  letter 
would  have  applied  to  the  Pompeiians,  even  if  it  had  been 
intensified  twofold.  The  ruins  of  the  city  give  silent  yet 
unmistakable  evidence  of  its  vice  and  wickedness.  Many 
of  their  practices  were  so  vile,  and  their  morality  so  low, 
that  language  cannot  be  used  to  express  the  depths  of  in- 
famy to  which  they  had  gone.  Sodomy,  and  like  vices, 
were  among  their  sinful  practices.  Sodom  was  overthrown 


98 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


because  of  its  wickedness,  and  Pompeii  certainly  deserved 
the  same  fate.  The  degradation  of  woman  was  complete, 
and,  as  a result,  men  were  equally  depraved  and  degraded, 
for  the  one  follows  the  other  as  surely  as  like  causes  pro- 
duce like  effects.  As  we  walked  through  the  streets  of  the 
excavated  city  and  saw  evidences  of  the  utter  depravity  and 
wickedness  of  the  people,  we  said  to  the  Elder,  “ No  won- 
der God  destroyed  this  place.”  And,  in  some  respects,  it 
is  a pity  that  after  eighteen  hundred  years  it  should  have 
been  uncovered,  yet  it  shows,  beyon*d  all  doubt,  that  Paul’s 
characterization  of  the  immorality  of  the  Romans  is  by 
no  means  overdrawn,  and  it  thus  becomes  a terrible  wit- 
ness of  the  truth  of  the  apostle’s  words  in  the  first  chapter 
of  his  letter  to  the  brethren  in  Rome. 

In  traveling  in  the  different  countries  of  the  world,  the 
condition  of  the  masses  of  the  people  always  forms  an  item 
of  special  interest  to  us,  and  we  are  constantly  drawing  con- 
trasts between  the  conditions  of  the  people  in  Europe  and 
the  East  and  those  of  our  own  favored  land.  The  questions 
as  to  how  the  laboring  class  lives,  what  wages  they  receive, 
w'hat  is  the  condition  of  the  poor,  will,  no  doubt,  be  inter- 
esting and  instructive  to  our  readers.  Last  year,  in  our 
wanderings  in  northern  Europe,  we  gave  this  subject  con- 
siderable attention,  and  we  now  refer  to  the  condition  of 
the  laboring  classes  in  Italy. 

In  all  the  cities  of  Italy  the  poverty  that  prevails  is 
made  apparent  by  the  great  crowd  of  beggars  that  meet  us 
wherever  we  go.  If  we  enter  a church  we  are  beset,  both 
in  going  in  and  coming  out,  by  an  importunate  crowd  of 
poor  unfortunates,  who  stand  in  groups  about  the  doors, 
showing  their  deformities,  hoping  to  excite  sympathy  and 
secure  alms.  If  we  walk  out  of  any  of  the  gates  of  the  cit- 
ies, the  same  thing  occurs,  only  the  crowd  of  beggars  is 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


99 


larger  and  more  importunate.  Giving  does  not  satisfy.  It 
only  increases  the  demands  made  upon  you  by  the  begging 
throng  of  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls.  If  we  drive 
along  the  public  highway,  our  carriage  becomes  the  center 
of  attack,  and  whether  we  drive  slow  or  fast,  the  beggars 
are  with  us.  They  run  by  the  side  of  the  carriage  long  dis- 
tances, imploring  us  for  money.  Half-grown  girls,  each 
carrying  a baby  brother  or  sister,  will  follow  a carriage  sev- 
eral hundred  yards,  keeping  pace  with  the  trotting  horses. 
Giving  by  no  means  rids  us  of  the  nuisance.  It  only  makes 
the  matter  worse. 

The  following  experience  will  illustrate  the  result  of 
giving.  Driving  one  day  from  Naples  to  Mt.  Vesuvius,  we 
passed  through  the  poorer  part  of  the  city,  lying  on  the 
slope  of  the  mountain.  We  were  making  a steep  ascent 
along  a narrow  street,  and  had  to  drive  slow.  As  usual,  we 
were  beset  with  beggars,  and  we  distributed  a few  pennies 
for  sweet  charity’s  sake.  Immediately  our  carriage  was  lit- 
erally surrounded  by  beggars.  Our  simple  act  of  giving 
seemed  to  have  turned  every  boy  and  girl  in  the  street  into 
a beggar.  They  filled  the  air  with  their  cries  of  “ Signor ! 
Signor!”  If  we  threw  pennies  on  the  ground,  hoping  thus 
to  rid  ourselves  of  the  nuisance,  there  was  a rush  and  a 
struggle  until  the  question  of  ownership  was  settled,  then, 
with  whetted  appetite  for  more,  they  came  on  more  clam- 
orous than  ever.  We  simply  had  to  endure  the  noise  and 
make  the  best  of  it.  After  following  us  a mile  or  more, 
they  grew  tired  and  fell  back. 

It  is  said  that  begging  is  the  curse  of  Italy,  and  we  are 
willing  to  give  half  assent  to  the  statement.  The  beggar 
loses  all  self-respect  and  independence  of  character.  Once 
a beggar,  always  a beggar,  is  the  rule.  Indiscriminate  giv- 
ing is  an  evil,  not  only  in  Italy,  but  in  our  own  land.  It 


100 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


has  made  a race  of  beggars  in  Italy.  It  is  encouraging  a 
race  of  tramps  at  home,  and  the  responsibility  rests  upon 
those  who  give  with  mistaken  notions  of  charity.  To  give 
judiciously,  to  help  the  worthy  poor,  is  a Christian  duty, 
but  it  is  equally  a Christian  duty  not  to  give  where  giving 
will  result  in  evil. 

The  home  life  of  the  poor  people  here  does  not,  it 
seems  to  us,  have  a single  ray  of  light  in  it.  They  are  de- 
prived of  everything  that  makes  life  worth  living  to  us. 
Poverty-stricken  as  they  are,  they  live  in  the  merest  hovels, 
and  filth  too  horrible  to  mention  is  found  on  all  sides.  It 
is  among  this  class  of  people  that  the  cholera  finds  its  vic- 
tims by  the  hundreds.  The  bacilli,  or  cholera  germs,  de- 
light in  filth,  and  here  they  revel  in  the  very  luxury  of  dirt, 
grow  fat,  and  daily  increase  the  death  rate  to  an  alarming 
extent. 

In  Rome  and  in  Naples  we  visited  the  homes  of  the 
poor  people.  We  passed  through  the  streets  and  went  into 
some  of  the  houses.  In  Naples  the  conditions  seem  to  be 
worse  than  in  Rome.  Here  the  houses  open  on  the  street. 
Indeed,  the  women  and  children  spend  the  winter  days  sit- 
ting on  the  sunny  side  of  the  street.  Here  they  keep  warm. 
Stoves  are  not  known  among  them.  Those  who  are  able, 
build  a fire  in  an  iron  pan  and  sit  around  it  when  it  is  cold. 
Women  and  children  old  enough  to  work  are  busy.  Plait- 
ing straw,  knitting  and  sewing  are  the  principal  occupa- 
tions. Inside  the  house,  the  floor  of  the  single  room  is  us- 
ually made  of  brick  or  flat  stones.  On  one  side  stands  the 
bed.  If  the  family  owns  a donkey,  he  has  his  place  in  one 
corner  of  the  room.  The  chickens,  and  there  are  usually 
one  or  two  dozen  in  each  house,  go  in  and  out  of  the  door 
at  will,  roosting,  in  some  cases,  in  the  family  room.  As  a 
rule  no  windows  are  seen,  the  door  admitting  the  light. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


IOI 


Here,  in  the  darkness  and  filth,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren have  what  they  call  their  homes.  Here  they  ex- 
ist. They  seem  cheerful  and  contented  with  their  lot,  and 
that  is  the  worst  part  of  it.  It  is  hard  to  improve  the  con- 
dition of  a people  who  have  settled  down  to  a dull  content- 
ment, born  of  a condition  in  which  there  is  no  hope  of  a 
better  day.  If  it  is  true  that  happiness  consists  in  the 
things  we  learn  to  do  without,  these  people  ought  to  be 
happy.  They  live  on  what  many  families  waste  in  our 
country.  But  deprivation  of  the  common  necessaries  of 
life  is  not  the  only  evil  among  them.  The  ordinary  propri- 
eties, nay,  the  common  decencies  of  our  home  life,  are  en- 
tirely wanting. 

The  condition  of  the  small  farmer  and  the  country  la- 
borer is  not  essentially  better  than  that  of  the  poorer  class- 
es in  the  cities.  He  owns  a small  parcel  of  ground,  from 
two  to  four  acres.  His  home  is  devoid  of  comfort,  and  his 
life  is  one  of  toil.  He,  with  his  family,  spends  part  of  his 
time  in  farming  their  few  acres.  The  ground  is  all  turned 
over  with  a spade,  men  and  women  laboring  together  at 
this  hard  work.  Of  course  plows  are  used  on  the  larger 
farms.  After  his  few  acres  are  planted  and  sown,  the  farm- 
er seeks  work  wherever  he  can  find  it.  The  women  and 
children  plait  straw  and  make  baskets,  thus  eking  out  their 
scanty  living. 

In  many  districts  the  very  best  farm  laborer  can  secure 
only  from  forty  to  fifty  dollars  a year,  and  part  of  the  time 
he  must  board  himself  out  of  this  very  small  sum.  Signor 
Bodo,  an  authority  on  Italian  statistics,  gives  the  average 
wages  in  summer,  for  a male  adult,  as  two  lire  (forty 
cents)  a day,  and  in  winter,  one  lira  and  fifty  centesimi 
(thirty  cents)  a day.  He  further  remarks  that  account 


102 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


must  be  taken  of  the  times  when  no  work  can  be  had.  A 
fair  average  estimate  for  three  hundred  working  days  each 
year  is  fifteen  cents  a day.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
this  amount  can  be  earned  by  only  the  best  farm  laborers. 
Some  work  for  ten  cents,  and  even  less-  a day.  At  home 
our  laborers  would  not  be  able  to  live  on  such  wages,  much 
less  lay  something  aside  each  year,  as  we  are  glad  to  know 
many  of  them  do. 

The  condition  of  woman  here  is  no  improvement  over 
that  found  in  northern  Europe,  to  which  we  referred  at 
some  length  in  our  letters  last  year.  She  is  found  laboring 
in  the  fields,  turning  over  the  ground  with  the  spade,  work- 
ing side  by  side  with  men,  and  apparently  doing  as  much 
work  as  the  stronger  sex,  but  receiving  here,  as  in  our  own 
country,  less  wages  for  doing  the  same  amount  and  same 
kind  of  work.  When  will  men  learn  to  deal  justly  with 
women?  Why  should  a man  receive  more  wages  for  doing 
a certain  piece  of  work  than  a woman  who  does  it  equally 
well  and  often  better?  It  is  simply  a piece  of  injustice  that 
we,  as  men,  all  ought  to  be  ashamed  of. 

But  we  find  women  at  work,  not  only  in  the  fields,  but 
in  the  stone-quarries,  on  the  railway,  on  buildings,  and,  in 
fact,  in  every  occupation,  in  which  men  engage.  We  saw 
women  at  work  in  the  quarries,  carrying  heavy  stones  on 
their  heads,  moving  them  from  place  to  place.  We  saw 
them  carrying  stones,  in  the  same  manner,  to  masons  who 
were  engaged  in  building  a wall.  We  saw  them  removing 
earth  from  excavations,  by  putting  it  into  baskets,  then  put- 
ting the  baskets  on  their  heads  and  carrying  them  away 
like  beasts  of  burden.  All  this  seems  hard  enough  to  look 
at,  but  when  it  is  known  that  for  this  slavish  work  the  high- 
est price  paid  to  woman  is  ten  cents  a day,  it  seems  almost 
incredible.  To  her  it  is  a question  of  starvation,  and  she  is 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


IOj 

willing  to  labor  all  the  weary  day  for  a mere  pittance, 
which  is  certainly  not  enough  to  supply  her  with  a suffi- 
cient quantity  of  good,  wholesome  food.  After  her  hard 
day’s  work  in  the  field  or  quarry,  which,  by  the  way,  is  not 
a day  of  ten  hours,  but  “ from  early  morn  till  dewy  eve,” 
she  goes  to  her  cheerless  home,  where  poverty  and  want 
are  constant  guests,  and  where,  if  she  have  strength  left, 
she  spends  some  hours  of  the  night  in  plaiting  straw  or 
making  baskets. 

One  who  has  not  seen  something  of  the  condition  of 
the  people  here  can  scarcely  form  an  idea  as  to  their  pov- 
erty and  wretchedness.  Poorly  housed,  poorly  clothed, 
and  poorly  fed,  they  work  like  galley-slaves,  for  the  very 
least  sum  that  will  keep  life  in -the  body.  When  sickness 
comes  to  them,  and  their  scanty  wages  are  cut  off,  begging 
or  stealing  is  their  only  resource,  and  they  do  both.  To  us 
the  women  appear  coarse,  and  they  are  coarse,  but  how  can 
they  be  otherwise?  The  finer  sensibilities  are  crushed  out 
of  their  lives  by  their  hard  lot.  The  sunshine  of  a comfort- 
able home  is  not  theirs.  The  tender  regard  for  wife  and 
mother  is  entirely  wanting.  Their  lives  are  so  many  des- 
perate daily  struggles  for  an  existence,  and  in  this  struggle 
they  often  fail.  They  become  dull-eyed  and  haggard,  and 
learn  to  know  what  the  pangs  of  hunger  are. 

We  have  given  but  a brief  sketch  of  what  we  have  seen. 
Our  time  was  much  too  limited  to  give  this  subject  much 
attention.  What  we  have  seen  only  confirms  us  in  our  con- 
viction that  in  no  country  in  the  world  are  the  people,  as  a 
whole,  so  prosperous  as  in  the  United  States.  In  no  other 
country  is  labor  better  paid.  Every  laboring  man  may,  by 
practicing  ordinary  economy  and  not  spending  his  wages 
for  tobacco  and  strong  drink,  lay  by  some  money  each  year, 
and  thus  have  a surplus  capital.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 


104  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

much  dissatisfaction  prevails.  Men,  who  receive  for  a 
month’s  work  double  as  much  as  laborers  here  receive  for  a 
year’s  labor,  are  striking  for  higher  wages.  We  are  un- 
grateful and  fail  to  appreciate  the  blessings  we  enjoy,  and, 
unless  we  are  much  mistaken,  this  ingratitude  will  bring  its 
own  punishment.  Will  the  conditions  found  in  southern 
Italy,  and,  indeed,  all  over  Europe,  ever  exist  in  our  own 
country?  Perhaps  for  our  ingratitude  they  may  come.  God 
uses  various  means  to  bring  about  results,  and  the  means  to 
this  end  are  at  work  now.  An  ungrateful  people,  forgetting 
the  abundant  blessings  of  Almighty  God,  will  surely  re- 
ceive their  just  recompense  of  reward. 


CHAPTER  VI. 



From  Europe  to  Africa. — Last  View  of  Vesuvius. — Stromboli. — Port 
Said.  — The  Suez  Canal.  — Istnailia.  — Cairo.— Street  Scenes.  — 
Water-carriers . 

FTER  spending  a week  at  Naples  and  in  its  vicinity, 
we  board  the  oriental  steamer  Rosetta,  bound  for 
Calcutta,  India,  and  set  sail  for  the  “ land  of  the 
Pharaohs,”  eleven  hundred  miles  away.  Steaming 
out  of  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples  we  see  five  of  the  great 
warships  belonging  to  the  Italian  navy,  among  which  are 
said  to  be  some  of  the  heaviest  and  best  steel-plated  ships 
yet  constructed.  It  is  a sad  commentary  on  the  professed 
Christianity  of  Europe  when  we  reflect  that  all  these  Chris- 
tian (?)  nations  are  literally  armed  to  the  teeth  to  protect 
themselves  from  the  depredations  of  each  other.  Italy, 
with  a population  less  than  half  of  our  own,  has  a standing 
army  larger  by  ten  times  than  that  of  the  United  States. 
To  support  her  large  army  the  people  are  ground  down  by 
taxation.  No  wonder  poverty  and  begging  are  so  very 
common  in  sunny  Italy. 

Across  the  Bay  of  Naples,  in  the  clear  evening  light, 
we  have  a last  view  of  Mount  Vesuvius  rising  in  isolated 
grandeur  from  the  surrounding  plain.  The  mountain  pours 
forth  volume  after  volume  of  smoke,  giving  evidence  of  the 
great  fire  imprisoned  in  its  bosom,  and  we  see  the  last  of  it 
only  when  we  are  far  out  at  sea,  on  our  way  to  another  of 

the  great  natural  divisions  of  our  globe,  Africa. 

105 


106  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

It  is  a bright,  beautiful  night,  and  although  it  is  past 
the  middle  of  December,  it  is  as  warm  as  the  spring  months 
at  home.  The  sky  is  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  the  stars  shine 
with  an  unusual  degree  of  brilliancy,  not  uncommon  in  this 
favored  climate.  It  must  have  been  a night  like  this  that 
inspired  David  to  say,  “The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God;  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handy  work.  Day  un- 
to day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  sheweth 
knowledge.”  It  is  not  a night  for  sleep,  and  we  spend  a 
part  of  it  on  deck.  At  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  we  pass 
the  island  on  which  is  located  the  active  volcano  Stromboli. 
At  intervals  of  half  an  hour  the  mountain  belches  forth 
great  volumes  of  fire  and  melted  lava.  The  bright  red 
flames  are  at  least  a hundred  feet  high,  lighting  up  the 
mountain  with  their  lurid  glare;  great  streams  of  melted 
lava,  red  and  glowing,  pour  down  the  mountain  side  to  the 
level  of  the  sea.  It  is  a grand  display  of  nature’s  fireworks, 
once  seen  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Our  voyage  from  Naples  to  Port  Said  is  a pleasant  one. 
The  “great  sea  ” is  as  smooth  as  a river,  and  we  have  clear 
and  calm  weather  during  the  entire  voyage.  On  the  third 
day  out  we  “sail  close  by  Crete,”  so  close  that  we  can  dis- 
tinctly see  the  coast  line  of  the  island,  and  we  know  that 
we  are  not  far  from  the  course  taken  by  the  ship  which 
conveyed  Paul  to  the  port  from  which  we  have  sailed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  we  catch  sight  of 
a level  coast  line,  and  with  the  aid  of  our  glass  we  can  see 
the  buildings  of  Port  Said,  which  stands  at  the  entrance  to 
the  Suez  Canal.  An  hour  later  our  ship  casts  anchor  and 
the  health  officer  comes  aboard.  After  a careful  examina- 
tion (for  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  cholera  in  Europe  they 
have  rigid  quarantine  regulations  here),  the  Rosetta  is  de- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  107 

dared  free.  Going  down  the  ship’s  ladder  and  entering  a 
small  boat  we  are  rowed  ashore  and  land  in  Africa.  Our 
first  care  on  landing  is  to  telegraph  to  loved  ones  at  home 
of  our  safe  arrival  in  Egypt.  A single  word  of  a private  ci- 
pher, arranged  before  we  left  home,  was  flashed  over  a con- 
tinent and  beneath  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  and  half  way 
across  the  United  States,  a distance  of  seven  thousand 
miles,  taking  to  anxious  hearts  at  home  news  of  our  safety 
and  good  health. 

IN  THE  LAND  OF  EGYPT. 

And  now  at  last  we  are  in  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs. 
Nine  years  ago  when  we  visited  Palestine  our  desire  was  to 
visit  Egypt  also,  but  at  that  time  a war  among  the  tribes  on 
the  Nile  prevented  us.  Last  winter  we  started  for  the 
East,  but  the  way  was  closed  by  the  cholera,  and  we  turned 
homeward.  Now,  after  the  lapse  of  a number  of  years 
since  we  first  thought  the  trip  possible  for  us,  we  are,  under 
God’s  blessing,  permitted  to  realize  our  hopes  and  desires. 

We  are  to  see  this  wonderland  of  the  Nile.  We  are  to 
climb  the  great  pyramids  and  enter  the  tombs  and  temples, 
cut  and  built  by  the  Pharaohs  who  lived  with  Joseph,  Jacob 
and  Moses.  We  are  to  wander  through  the  “land  of  Go- 
shen,” where  the  children  of  Israel  dwelt,  where  they  felt 
the  heavy  hand  of  oppression,  and  from  which  they  were 
led  by  the  hand  of  Moses.  We  are  to  follow  them  in  their 
journey  to  the  Red  Sea  and  into  the  desert  where  they  wan- 
dered forty  years.  We  are  to  ascend  the  life-giving  waters 
of  the  Nile  a thousand  miles,  and  visit  on  the  way  the  mag- 
nificent ruins  of  Thebes,  Karnac  and  Luxor.  We  are  to 
continue  our  journey  into  Nubia, following  the  Nile  into  the 
Torrid  Zone  of  Africa,  and  learn  something  of  the  life  of 


/ 


108  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

the  people  who  live  there.  All  this  we  hope  to  accom- 
plish, the  Lord  being  our  keeper. 

And  then,  on  our  homeward  journey,  a kind  Provi- 
dence permitting,  we  shall  revisit  the  Holy  Land,  and,  if 
possible,  see  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  which  were  estab- 
lished through  the  efforts  of  the  great  missionary,  Paul. 

We  feel  that  we  are  enjoying  a great  privilege  in  being 
thus  permitted  to  wander  in  the  Lands  of  the  Bible.  As 
Dr.  Schaff  so  well  says,  it  is  an  inestimable  advantage  to 
see  with  one’s  own  eyes  the  birthplaces  of  the  authors  of 
the  sacred  writings,  and  their  surroundings,  and  to  be  able 
to  speak  from  personal  experience  and  observation.  The 
manners  and  customs  of  the  people  in  the  East  are  so  un- 
changeable that  we  are  transferred,  as  if  by  magic,  to  the 
age  of  the  patriarchs,  prophets  and  apostles.  A flood  of 
light  is  thrown  on  the  meaning  of  many  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture which  appear  strange  at  a distance,  but  quite  natural  on 
the  spot.  The  thoughtful  traveler  fills  his  memory  with 
scenes  more  valuable  to  him  than  any  number  of  books; 
whenever  he  reads  afterwards  of  the  visits  of  Abraham,  Jo- 
seph and  Jacob  to  Egypt,  the  miracles  of  Moses,  the  wan- 
derings of  the  Israelites,  of  Hebron,  Bethlehem,  Nazareth, 
the  Dead  Sea,  the  River  Jordan,  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret, 
Mount  Hermon,  the  Cedars  of  Lebanon,  Jerusalem,  Beth- 
any, Gethsemane,  and  Mount  Olivet,  the  places  and  scenes 
rise  before  him  with  a vividness  they  never  had  before. 
The  ruinous  condition  of  the  Lands  of  the  Bible  may  di- 
minish the  poetry,  but  the  impression  of  the  reality  is  deep- 
ened. A sound  and  correct  historical  understanding  of  the 
Bible  has  gained  much  from  travelers  who  have  made  a 
study  of  the  land  where  the  Book  was  written,  and  it  will 
gain  still  more  in  time  to  come.  For  the  Holy  Scriptures 
have  a human  body  as  well  as  a divine  soul;  they  strike 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


109 


their  roots  deep  into  the  soil  from  which  they  sprang; 
while  their  ideas  soar  to  heaven,  they  are  thoroughly  orien- 
tal, and  yet  wonderfully  adapted  for  all  mankind,  in  all 
ages  of  the  world.* 

And  now,  at  the  very  outset  of  our  journeyings  in 
Egypt,  the  question  arises,  What  shall  we  write?  The  land 
of  the  Nile  is  so  rich  in  historic  interest  and  sacred  associa- 
tion that  the  wandering  editor  finds  no  lack  of  material,  and 
these  letters  might  be  expanded  into  volumes  without  ex- 
hausting the  subject.  To  select  from  the  great  mass  of  ma- 
terial such  matter  as  will  be  best  suited  and  of  the  greatest 
interest  and  benefit  to  our  readers,  is  a matter  of  consider- 
able importance.  A glance  at  the  magnitude  of  the  sub- 
ject will  more  fully  illustrate  our  meaning. 

The  history  of  Egypt  dates  far  back  into  the  ages  of 
antiquity,  and  fades  away  among  the  earliest  traditions  of 
the  human  race.  When  God  called  Abram  from  his  home 
in  the  land  of  Mesopotamia  to  go  “ unto  a land  that  I will 
shew  thee,”  a prosperous  nation  with  considerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  arts  and  sciences  dwelt  in  Egypt.  Civilization 
prevailed,  and  the  records  show  that,  for  centuries  before 
Abram’s  call,  the  Pharaohs  reigned  in  the  land  of  the  Nile. 
They  founded  cities,  built  temples  and  pyramids,  erected 
monuments,  and  cut  immense  tombs  in  the  rocks,  the  ruins 
of  which  are  the  wonder  of  the  world  to  this  day.  After 
Abram  left  his  own  country  and  settled  in  Canaan,  the  his- 
tory of  Egypt  touches  the  Bible  narrative  at  many  points; 
and  no  country  in  the  world,  outside  of  the  Holy  Land  it- 
self, has  so  many  associations  directly  connected  with  the 
Bible  record. 

The  world  owes  a debt  of  gratitude  to  Egypt  that  is 
not  fully  recognized.  It  preserved  the  Jewish  race.  Soon 

*Schaff,  “ Through  Bible  Lands.” 


no 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


after  Abram  made  his  home  in  Palestine  he  was  compelled 
by  famine  to  seek  food  from  the  fertile  soil  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nile,  “And  there  was  a famine  in  the  land:  and 
Abram  went  down  into  Egypt  to  sojourn  there;  for  the 
famine  was  sore  in  the  land.”  Gen.  12:  10.  Two  hundred 
years  later  we  have  the  beautiful  story  of  Joseph,  known 
wherever  the  Bible  is  read,  and  again  the  Hebrews  are  pre- 
served. And  Jacob  said  to  his  sons,  “ I have  heard  that 
there  is  corn  in  Egypt:  get  you  down  thither,  and  buy  for 
us  from  thence;  that  we  may  live,  and  not  die.”  The  corn 
was  bought,  the  line  of  Judah  was  preserved,  and  Egypt 
gave  to  the  world  a great  law-giver,  Moses  the  Hebrew. 
Fifteen  hundred  years  later  a babe,  greater  than  Pharaoh, 
greater  than  Moses,  greater  than  the  prophets,  was  carried 
from  Bethlehem  down  into  Egypt.  The  Son  of  God,  the 
Savior  of  the  world  was  preserved  from  the  cruel  hatred 
of  Herod,  and  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  saith,  “ Out 
of  Egypt  have  I called  my  son.” 

We  have  taken  but  a glimpse  of  the  rich  mass  of  ma- 
terials from  which  we  are  to  draw  our  letters.  The  very 
richness  of  the  field  makes  the  task  of  writing  the  more  dif- 
ficult. What  to  select  that  will  be  most  interesting  and  in- 
structive is  not  so  easy  to  decide.  We  shall,  however,  do 
the  best  we  can  in  culling  from  the  abundant  material  at 
hand.  To  write  about  all  that  is  of  interest  in  the  land  of 
the  Pharaohs  would  be  to  write  many  volumes. 

From  Port  Said  to  Cairo  we  travel  first  by  Egyptian 
mail  boat  on  the  Suez  Canal  to  Ismailia,  and  thence  by 
rail  to  the  capital  of  modern  Egypt. 

The  Suez  Canal,  which  unites  the  waters  of  the  Medi- 
terranean and  Red  Seas,  is  a wonderful  achievement  of 
engineering  skill.  It  is  one  hundred  miles  in  length, 
seventy-two  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  from  two  hun- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  Ill 

dred  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  wide  on  the  surface. 
A regular  depth  of  twenty-six  feet  of  water  is  maintained, 
so  that  the  largest  ships  may  pass  through.  The  canal  is 
controlled  by  English  capital,  but  is  open  to  the  vessels  of 
all  nations.  Two  dollars  is  charged  for  each  passenger 
who  passes  through  the  canal,  and  the  same  amount  for 
each  ton  of  freight.  The  large  revenue  thus  collected 
keeps  the  canal  in  repair  and  pays  a handsome  dividend  on 
the  capital. 

From  Ismailia  to  Cairo  by  rail,  a distance  of  ninety- 
eight  miles,  we  pass  over  a part  of  the  Arabian  Desert,  and 
have  an  amount  of  dust  and  sand  that  makes  breathing  a 
difficult  matter.  The  compartments  are  filled  with  dust 
and  by  the  time  we  reach  Cairo  our  clothing  has  entire- 
ly changed  color,  being  literally  covered  with  the  white 
dust  of  the  desert. 

Forty  miles  of  desert  travel  brings  us  to  the  Land  of 
Goshen,  where  the  sons  of  Jacob  took  up  their  abode  when 
they  went  down  into  Egypt.  “ And  Pharaoh  spake  unto 
Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  and  thy  brethren  arc  come  unto 
thee:  the  land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee;  in  the  best  of  the 
land  make  thy  father  and  brethren  to  dwell;  in  the  land  of 
Goshen  let  them  dwell:  and  if  thou  knowest  any  men  of  ac- 
tivity among  them,  then  make  them  rulers  over  my  cattle." 
Gen.  47:  5,  6.  Unto  this  day  the  Land  of  Goshen  is  fertile. 
Canals  lead  the  waters  from  the  Nile  to  this  favored  dis- 
trict, and  its  green  fields  look  especially  attractive  after  the 
desert  trip. 

Crossing  over  the  Land  of  Goshen  we  pass  by  Tell  El 
Ychudiyeh  (Hill  of  the  Jews).  Here  Onias  the  high  priest, 
B.  C.  146,  under  the  protection  of  Ptolemy  Philometor, 
built  a temple  for  the  use  of  his  countrymen  who  had  been 
expelled  from  Palestine.  When  it  was  said  to  him  that  no 


1 1 2 WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

true  temple  could  exist  except  at  Jerusalem,  he  quoted  in 
answer  the  language  of  Isaiah,  “ In  that  day  shall  there  be 
an  altar  to  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
a pillar  at  the  border  thereof  to  the  Lord.”  Isa.  19:  19. 

But  we  leave  the  Land  of  Goshen  for  a later  and 
more  extended  visit,  when  we  hope  to  visit  the  ruins  of  the 
treasure  cities  of  Pithom  and  Raamses,  built  by  the  Israel- 
ites for  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression,  Rameses  II. 
“ Therefore  they  did  set  over  them  taskmasters  to  afflict 
them  with  their  burdens.  And  they  built  for  Pharaoh 
treasure  cities,  Pithom  and  Raamses.”  Ex.  1:  n.  These 
important  cities  have  recently  been  discovered  and  exca- 
vated by  the  Egyptian  Exploration  Society,  and  add  addi- 
tional proof  to  the  already  great  mass  of  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  the  Book  of  God.  We  shall  have  something  more 
to  say  of  Goshen  on  our  return  from  Ethiopia. 

From  the  window  of  our  compartment  we  see  in  the 
distance  a large  city  with  numerous  mosques  and  minarets. 
As  we  draw  nearer  to  the  place  we  have  a glimpse  of  the 
top  of  a great  pyramid,  and  all  doubt  as  to  the  name  of  the 
city  vanishes.  It  can  be  no  other  than  Cairo,  the  city  of 
the  Khaliffs.  Our  train  pulls  into  a large  depot,  and  we  are 
at  once  surrounded  by  a yelling  mob  of  Arab  donkey-boys, 
guides  and  cab-drivers.  The  noise  is  deafening,  and  con- 
fusion reigns  supreme.  Having  taken  the  precaution  to 
notify  the  proprietor  of  the  Khedival  Hotel  of  our  arrival, 
we  remain  quietly  in  the  car  until  we  hear  some  one  call- 
ing, “ Mr.  Mee-ler.”  It  is  the  commissionnaire  of  the  ho- 
tel, who  speaks  a few  words  in  English.  Calling  him  to  us, 
we  place  our  baggage  and  ourselves  in  his  charge,  and  are 
soon  rid  of  the  crowd  and  comfortably  located  in  a quiet, 
pleasant,  home-like  hotel. 

Cairo  is  the  one  great  oriental  city  in  the  world.  It  has 
an  estimated  population  of  four  hundred  thousand  souls. 


General  View  of  Cairo,  with  the  Pyramids  in  the  Distance. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


1 13 

Among  its  permanent  residents  may  be  found  Italians 
Frenchmen,  Germans,  Englishmen,  Americans,  Austrians, 
Greeks,  together  with  Egyptians,  Arabians,  Fellah  Settlers, 
Copts,  Jews,  Northern  Africans,  Beduins,  Syrians,  Persians, 
Indians,  Negroes,  and  other  oriental  races.  With  its  mixed 
population  and  peculiar  customs  it  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting cities  in  the  world. 

The  business  streets  on  which  the  retail  shops  are  lo- 
cated, “ bazaars,”  as  they  are  called  here,  present  a striking 
appearance,  and  are  filled  with  strange  sights  and  scenes. 
We  have  traveled  from  the  New  World  to  the  Old,  but  here 
in  this  oriental  city  is  a world  entirely  new  to  us.  Here  we 
have  presented  to  us  in  the  same  street  the  contrasts  be- 
tween barbarous,  half-civilized  and  civilized  life.  It  is  a 
kind  of  mosaic  of  the  customs  and  habits  of  many  nations 
of  the  earth.  It  has  well  been  called  a living  museum  of 
all  imaginable  and  unimaginable  phases  of  existence,  of  re- 
finement and  degeneracy,  of  civilization  and  barbarism,  of 
knowledge  and  ignorance,  of  Paganism,  Christianity,  and 
Mohammedanism. 

Of  the  Muski,  the  principal  business  street,  Baedeker 
says,  “ The  busy  traffic  in  this  street  often  presents  an  in- 
terminably ravelled  and  twisted  string  of  men,  women,  and 
animals,  of  walkers,  riders  and  carriages  of  every  descrip- 
tion. Add  to  this  the  cracking  of  drivers’  whips,  the  jing- 
ling of  the  money  at  the  tables  of  the  changers,  established 
at  the  corner  of  every  street,  the  rattling  of  the  brazen  cups 
of  the  water-carriers,  the  moaning  of  the  camels,  the  bray- 
ing of  donkeys,  and  barking  of  dogs,  and  you  have  a per- 
fect pandemonium.” 

Then,  too,  this  great  mass  of  moving,  struggling  hu- 
manity presents  almost  every  variety  of  costume  and  style 
of  dress.  Here  are  the  fashionably-dressed  Europeans,  el- 


1 14  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

bowing  the  scantily-clad  Ethiopian  from  Upper  Nubia;  and 
between  these  two  extremes  may  be  seen  a wonderful  varie- 
ty of  wearing  apparel.  Here  are  turbaned  Turks,  with  bag- 
gy trousers  and  richly  embroidered  vestments;  the  Beduin 
of  the  desert,  with  simple  robe  and  highly-colored  head- 
dress, kept  in  place  by  a black  cord,  half  an  inch  thick, 
from  which  hang  heavy  tassels;  the  descendants  of  Mo- 
hammed in  flowing  robes  and  green  turbans;  the  Nubian, 
bare-headed,  bare-armed  and  bare-legged,  his  dark  skin 
glistening  in  the  bright  sunlight;  the  richly-dressed, 
closely-veiled  women  of  the  harem,  enveloped  in  great 
robes  of  black  silk;  the  poorer  women  with  a simple  blue 
gown  and  a veil  covering  the  lower  part  of  the  face,  with  a 
profusion  of  copper  earrings,  bracelets,  ankle-rings,  and, 
in  the  case  of  the  inhabitants  of  Upper  Egypt,  nose-rings. 
All  these  go  to  make  up  a scene  as  bewildering  as  it  is 
possible  to  imagine  and  leave  on  the  mind  of  the  traveler 
an  impression  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

The  Elder  and  the  writer  threaded  the  business  streets 
of  Cairo  the  second  day  after  our  arrival.  We  selected  the 
afternoon,  when  the  scene  is  most  animated.  We  were 
mounted  on  trusty  little  donkeys,  and  our  only  attendants 
were  two  intelligent  Arab  donkey-boys.  One  of  them,  Ali, 
spoke  a little  English,  of  which  he  seemed  very  proud.  At 
the  word  “ Yallah,”  which  is  Arabic  for  forward,  we  started 
on  our  tour  of  the  shops  and  bazaars  of  Cairo,  and  we  en- 
joyed an  excellent  opportunity  of  seeing  the  busy  streets 
and  the  many  phases  of  life  which  they  present.  It  was  an 
interesting  ride.  The  denseness  of  the  crowd,  as  it  moved 
slowly  forward,  seemed  at  times  to  wholly  block  our  way, 
but  our  donkey-boys,  Hammar,  as  they  are  called  here, 
elbowed  a passageway  for  us  and  we  got  through  in  safety. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  II5 

Every  department  of  business  is  kept  separate,  and 
many  of  the  articles  offered  for  sale  are  manufactured  on 
the  streets.  We  pass  through  a street  wholly  given  up  to 
the  shoemakers,  and  here  are  made  and  sold  the  red  and 
yellow  slippers  worn  by  the  natives.  In  another  street  are 
the  booksellers  and  bookbinders,  and  you  may  see  the  pro- 
cess of  binding  books  carried  on  in  the  streets.  So,  too, 
the  brass  beaters,  the  silversmiths,  the  wood-workers,  and 
other  craftsmen  carry  on  their  work  in  the  open  air.  The 
entire  business  of  the  city  is  carried  on  in  this  way,  and  it 
presents  a striking  contrast  to  our  methods  of  business  at 
home. 

One  of  the  familiar  sights  in  Cairo  is  that  of  the 
Sais,  or  outrunners.  This  ancient  custom  is  still  main- 
tained. Before  the  carriages  of  the  wealthy  one  or  two 
men  run,  giving  notice  of  the  coming  of  the  carriage,  and 
clearing  the  way  for  it.  We  saw  them  a number  of  times 
and  were  impressed  with  their  fleetness  of  foot  and  wonder- 
ful power  of  endurance.  In  the  broad  avenues  they  run 
before  the  fast  trotting  horses  and  manage  to  keep  well  in 
the  lead.  The  custom  is  an  eastern  one  and  is  as  old  as 
the  Bible.  Elijah  the  prophet  performed  this  service  at 
one  time  for  Ahab.  “ And  he  said,  Go  up,  say  unto  Ahab, 
Prepare  thy  chariot,  and  get  thee  down,  that  the  rain  stop 
thee  not.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  mean  while,  that  the 
heaven  was  black  with  clouds  and  wind,  and  there  was  a 
great  rain.  And  Ahab  rode,  and  went  to  Jczreel.  And  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  on  Elijah;  and  he  girded  up  his  loins, 
and  ran  before  Ahab  to  the  entrance  of  Jezreel.”  I Kings 
18:  44-46. 

Then  there  is  the  sakka,  or  water-carrier,  with  his  goat- 
skin of  water  slung  across  his  back  and  shoulders,  carrying 
the  water  from  the  Nile  to  the  houses,  or  offering  to  sell  it 


Il6  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

to  the  people  in  the  streets.  He  offers  a drink  in  small 
brazen  cups,  which  he  rattles  in  his  hands,  calling  out  to 
the  passers  to  come  and  buy.  It  was  from  this  ancient  cus- 
tom of  calling  to  the  thirsty  to  come  and  buy  water  that 
the  beautiful  figure,  found  in  Isa.  55:  I,  was  drawn,  “ Ho, 
every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that 
hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy,  and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy 
wine  and  milk  without  money  and  without  price.” 

The  sakka  also  serves  in  the  capacity  of  a street 
sprinkler.  With  his  goatskin  bottle  filled  with  water  (and 
they  hold  from  five  to  ten  gallons,  according  to  size)  he 
takes  the  neck  in  his  hand  and,  by  a dextrous  movement  of 
the  hand  and  arm,  throws  the  water  in  a shower  of  spray 
for  a considerable  distance  all  around  him.  We  saw  a 
number  of  men  engaged  at  this  kind  of  work.  It  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  how  far  they  could  throw  the  water  and  how  well 
and  rapidly  they  sprinkled  the  dusty  streets.  He  carries 
his  heavy  burden  from  the  Nile,  and  is  but  poorly  paid  for 
his  work.  He  tries  to  lighten  his  toil  by  repeating  in  a 
monotone  the  words,  “ Ya  auwad  Allah!'  (May  God  rec- 
ompense me.) 

The  donkeys  and  donkey-boys  are  an  important  insti- 
tution in  Cairo.  They  supply  the  place  of  cabs  and  street 
railways  for  those  who  do  not  care  to  pay  the  high  price 
asked  for  carriages.  For  a short  ride  inside  the  city  you 
pay  from  five  to  ten  cents,  according  to  distance.  Or  you 
may  hire  a donkey  and  boy  by  the  day  for  less  than  one 
dollar.  The  donkey  and  the  boy  always  go  together,  and 
it  is  usual,  after  a day’s  ride,  to  give  the  latter  a piaster 
(about  five  cents)  as  backsheesh.  After  a little  practice, 
donkey-riding  becomes  an  easy,  comfortable  and  very  con- 
venient mode  of  travel.  The  animals  are  gentle  and  have 
an  easy  pace,  even  when  they  gallop,  and  the  boys  are 


An  Egyptian  Donkey-Boy. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


”7 

bright  and  intelligent.  Many  of  them  speak  a little  Eng- 
lish. They  have  wonderful  powers  of  endurance.  Our 
boys  followed  us  one  day  some  fifteen  miles,  nearly  half 
the  distance  being  across  the  sandy  desert  to  Sakkara,  and 
the  entire  journey  was  made  in  three  hours. 

They  are  always  anxious  to  talk  and  learn  more  of  our 
language.  They  never  tire  of  praising  their  donkeys,  and 
we  hear  many  times  repeated  that  ours  is  “ very  good  don- 
key, he  understand  English.”  One  of  our  boys,  whose 
name  was  Abdul  Moses,  was  exceptionally  bright  and  in- 
telligent. We  asked  him  if  he  made  much  money.  His 
reply  was:  “ Sometimes  money  plenty,  sometimes  no  mon- 
ey. When  money  plenty,  Moses  have  plenty  friends;  ev- 
erybody say,  ‘ Good  morning,  Moses;’  when  money  finish, 
Moses  finish.”  Even  the  donkey-boys  in  Egypt  have 
learned  the  lesson  that  prosperity  brings  many  friends, 
whilst  adversity  sees  them  drop  away  one  by  one.  The 
sentence,  “When  money  finish,  Moses  finish,”  though 
spoken  by  a simple  Arab  donkey-boy,  tells  the  experience 
of  thousands  all  over  this  broad  earth,  who,  when  they  lost 
their  money,  lost  their  fawning  friends.  While  this  is  true, 
we  are  glad  to  know  that  there  are  friends  who  are  true, 
even  in  adversity,  and,  above  all,  that  there  is  a Friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a brother.  Of  this  Friend  the  Arab 
donkey-boy  has  no  knowledge;  and  what  a field  is  open 
here  for  the  missionary  of  the  cross! 

At  this  writing  we  are  in  Nubia,  the  Ethiopia  or  Cush 
of  the  Bible.  We  are  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent  health. 
Hitherto  the  Lord  has  been  our  helper,  and  we  praise  his 
holy  name. 

Our  mail  reached  us  at  Assuan  on  the  borderland  of 
Nubia.  How  glad  we  were  to  get  good  news  from  home. 
The  letters  were  written  and  mailed  nearly  a month  before 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


1 1 8 

we  received  them.  It  brought  very  vividly  to  mind  the 
fact  that  we  were  many  thousand  miles  from  home  and 
loved  ones.  And  while  we  were  glad  to  hear  from  them 
and  would  be  loath  to  do  without  letters,  yet  they  brought, 
to  the  writer’s  heart  at  least,  the  yearning  for  home,  the 
meaning  of  which  is  known  only  to  those  who  have  felt  it. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  Pyramid  of  Cheops.— Climbing  the  Great  Pyramid. — View  from 
the  Top. — The  Interior. — Grand  Gallery. — The  King's  Chamber. — 
The  Queen's  Chamber. — The  Sphinx. — The  Granite  Temple. 

I 

’VERYTHING  fears  time,  but  time  fears  the  Pyra- 
mids,” wrote  an  Arabian  physician  ( Abdellatiff ) at 
the  close  of  the  eleventh  century.  Eight, hundred 
(cf^eS  years  have  been  numbered  in  the  flight  of  time 
since  the  Arabian  wrote,  and  still  the  old  pyramids, 
old  when  Abraham  first  visited  Egypt,  older  still  when  Mo- 
ses was  born,  stand  in  their  solitary  grandeur  on  the  verge 
of  the  Libyan  desert  plain.  Time  has  dealt  gently  with 
these  huge  structures,  and,  although  the  Greeks,  Romans, 
and  Saracens  robbed  them  of  their  polished  granite  casing, 
they  are  as  imposing  in  their  grandeur  to-day  as  they  were 
a thousand  years  ago.  They  are  standing  yet,  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world,  and  they  will  doubtless  stand  until  it 
shall  be  declared  that  time  shall  be  no  more. 

“ A visit  to  the  pyramids,”  says  Dr.  Schaff,  “ is  an 
event  in  a man’s  life.  It  is  worth  a visit  to  Egypt.  The 
pyramids  and  the  sphinxes  are  the  fittest  symbols,  the  best 
welcome,  and  the  best  farewell  to  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs, 
who  themselves  rose  like  pyramids,  in  solitary  grandeur, 
far  above  the  desert  plain  of  slavery  around  them.”  We 
are  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  pyramids  are  worth  a trip 
from  America  to  Egypt,  but  having  come  to  Egypt,  no  one 
would  think  of  going  away  without  seeing  these  great  mass- 
es of  masonry. 

119 


120 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Our  visit  to  the  pyramids  was  made  Dec.  26,  1892,  a 
day  long  to  be  remembered.  A carriage  drive  of  seven 
miles,  through  the  streets  of  Cairo,  across  the  Nile  bridge, 
along  a splendid  road  (completely  shaded  by  rows  of  aca- 
cia trees)  on  which  we  met  numerous  caravans  of  camels 
on  their  way  to  Cairo,  brought  us  to  the  edge  of  the  desert. 
On  the  way  we  caught  occasional  glimpses  of  pyramids, 
and  as  we  approached  them  they  seemed  to  grow  in  size. 
But  it  was  not  until  the  edge  of  the  desert  was  reached,  the 
long,  sandy  slope  and  the  rocky  platform  had  been 
climbed,  and  we  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Great  Pyramid  of 
Cheops,  that  we  realized  how  stupendous  the  great  struc- 
ture was.  The  effect  was  quite  overwhelming.  The  pyra- 
mid shuts  off  the  line  of  the  horizon,  and  hides  behind  its 
massive  squares  six  smaller  structures  of  the  same  charac- 
ter. 

Standing  on  the  rocky  platfqrm  which  forms  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Great  Pyramid,  we  had  our  first  realization  of 
its  extent  and  magnitude.  We  had  seen  pictures  of  Cheops, 
a name  given  to  the  largest  pyramid,  in  our  school-books 
forty-five  years  ago.  Since  then  we  have  read  numer- 
ous interesting  descriptions  of  it,  and,  especially  during 
the  last  few  years,  we  have  carefully  studied  the  plan  of  its 
construction  and  its  measurements.  We  have  also  exam- 
ined photographs  and  drawings  of  it,  and  yet  we  were  only 
acquainted  with  its  general  appearance  and  form.  Of  its 
size  we  really  knew  but  little  save  the  figures,  which  fail  to 
convey  to  the  mind  the  reality. 

We  knew  that  its  base  originally  covered  an  area  of 
sixty-five  thousand  square  feet,  that  each  of  its  four  base 
lines  was  seven  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  long,  that  it 
was  nearly  five  hundred  feet  high,  that  it  contained  no  less 
than  three  and  a quarter  million  cubic  feet  of  masonry,  and 


The  Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx. 


122 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


that  the  entire  weight  of  the  stones  in  the  structure  was 
more  than  seven  million  tons.  But  these  figures,  with 
which  we  were  familiar,  had  not  been  fully  grasped  by  the 
mind.  They  had  not  given  to  us  an  adequate  conception 
of  the  reality.  In  order  to  obtain  this,  one  must  stand  at 
the  foot  of  the  monster,  walk  the  length  of  each  of  its  four 
sides,  climb  step  after  step  of  its  Cyclopean  masonry,  until, 
wearied  by  the  exertion,  he  sinks  down  to  rest  on  the  top- 
most tier.  Only  after  an  experience  of  this  kind  did  we 
fully  realize  the  great  magnitude  of  this;  the  most  colossal 
structure  ever  erected  by  human  hands. 

The  campus  of  Mount  Morris  College  contains  seven 
acres.  If  we  add  as  much  more  to  this,  so  as  to  make  a 
square  plat  of  ground  containing  fourteen  acres,  we  shall 
have  a piece  of  ground  about  the  size  of  that  originally  cov- 
ered by  the  Great  Pyramid.  If  it  were  farmed  it  would  re- 
quire a man  with  two  horses  seven  days  to  plough  it,  and 
in  some  of  our  western  states  would  produce  a thousand 
bushels  of  corn. 

On  this  plat  of  ground  containing  more  than  thirteen 
acres  the  builders  of  the  pyramid  erected  a four-sided 
structure,  the  greatest  the  world  has  ever  seen.  It  is  fifty- 
three  feet  higher  than  the  dome  of  St.  Peter’s  church  in 
Rome  and  is  within  a few  feet  as  high  as  the  Washington 
Monument.  There  are  two  hundred  and  nine  courses  of 
squared  blocks  of  stone  cut  and  fit  together  with  wonderful 
accuracy.  The  courses  differ  in  thickness,  the  thickest  be- 
ing four  feet  and  eight  inches  and  the  next  four  feet.  iJp 
to  the  fiftieth  course  the  blocks  are  not  less  than  th'se  feet 
thick.  From  this  to  the  top  they  decrease  in  thickness  un- 
til they  fall  below  two  feet.  P’ord  says  these  blocks  of 
rock  were  laid  course  upon  course,  on  this  foundation  of 
thirteen  acres,  up,  and  still  up,  stone  upon  stone,  to  the  im- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


123 


mense  height  of  nearly  five  hundred  feet.  These  solid 
blocks  of  rock,  one  of  which  it  would  take  an  average  of 
two  hundred  men  to  raise  an  eighth  of  an  inch  from  the 
ground,  were  lifted  high  up  in  the  air,  and  swung  into  their 
destined  places  with  an  exactness  that  varies  not  a fraction 
of  an  inch.  By  what  machinery,  what  derricks  and  levers 
and  pulleys,  what  engineering  contrivances  these  massive 
blocks  were  thus  raised  and  placed  in  position,  the  science 
of  this  boasted  nineteenth  century  cannot  even  guess. 
These  practical  illustrations  will  assist  us  in  obtaining  an 
idea  of  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  Cheops. 

When  were  the  great  pyramids  built,  and  what  were 
they  built  for?  These  questions  have  been  asked  and  nev- 
er fully  answered.  Various  dates  are  assigned  as  the  time 
of  their  construction,  ranging  from  B.  C.  2,000  to  B.  C. 
3,000.  We  shall  not  enter  upon  a discussion  of  this  ques- 
tion. Space  forbids,  and  then  volumes  have  already  been 
written  upon  the  question  involved.  An  examination  of 
the  subject  leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  they  have  stood 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  for  more  than  four  thousand 
years. 

Herodotus,  who  is  called  the  father  of  history,  and  who 
wrote  four  hundred  and  fifteen  years  before  Christ,  says 
that  the  Great  Pyramid  was  built  by  Cheops,  and  that  he 
employed  one  hundred  thousand  men  in  the  work.  “ They 
took  ten  years  to  make  the  road  for  the  transport  of  the 
stone,  which,  in  my  opinion,  must  have  been  almost  as  la- 
borious a task  as  the  building  of  the  pyramid  itself;  for  the 
length  of  the  road  was  five  stadia  (one  thousand  and  seven- 
teen yards);  its  breadth  is  ten  fathoms  (sixty  feet),  and  its 
height,  at  the  highest  places  is  eight  fathoms  (forty-eight 
feet),  and  it  is  constructed  entirely  of  polished  stone,  with 


124 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


figures  engraved  on  it.*  Ten  years  were  thus  consumed  in 
making  this  road,  and  the  subterranean  chambers  on  the 
hill  occupied  by  the  pyramids.  . . . Now  the  construc- 

tion of  the  pyramids  occupied  twenty  years.  Each  of  the 
sides,  which  face  the  different  points  of  the  compass,  for 
there  are  four  sides  measuring  eight  pletra  (eight  hundred 
and  twenty  feet),  and  the  height  is  the  same.  It  is  covered 
with  polished  stones,  well  jointed,  none  of  which  are  less 
than  thirty  feet  long. 

“This  pyrmaid  was  first  built  in  the  form  of  a flight  of 
steps.  After  the  workmen  had  completed  the  pyramid  in 
this  form,  they  raised  the  other  stones,  used  for  the  incrus- 
tation, by  means  of  machines,  made  of  short  beams,  from 
the  ground  tc  the  first  tier  of  steps;  and  after  the  stone  was 
placed  there  it  was  raised  to  the  second  tier  by  another  ma- 
chine; for  there  were  as  many  machines  as  there  were  tiers 
of  steps;  or  perhaps  the  same  machine,  if  it  was  easily 
moved,  was  raised  from  one  tier  to  the  other,  as  it  was  re- 
quired for  lifting  the  stones.  The  highest  part  of  the  pyr- 
amid was  thus  finished  first,  the  parts  adjoining  it  were 
taken  next,  and  the  lowest  part,  next  to  the  earth,  was 
completed  last.y  ” 

As  to  the  object  for  which  they  were  built,  it  was  the 
opinion  of  all  who  had  examined  the  pyramids  that  they 
were  intended  as  tombs  for  the  bodies  of  the  kings  who 
constructed  them.  In  1837  Col.  Howard  Nyse  made  some 
measurements  of  the  Great  Pyramid,  and  suggested  that  it 
was  not  built  for  a tomb,  but  that  it  embodied  the  highest 
development  of  scientific  skill,  and  that  it  contained  a 
prophecy  of  the  first  and  second  coming  of  Christ.  This 

*This  road  is  still  traceable. 

fRecent  investigations  confirm  this  account  of  the  building  of  the  pyramids.  Of 
course  it  will  be  understood  that  the  latter  part  of  the  description  refers  to  the  putting 
on  of  the  outside  layer  of  polished  granite  stones. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


125 


theory  was  carried  farther  by  John  Taylor,  of  London,  from 
1859  to  1864.  It  however  remained  for  Mr.  Piazzi  Smyth, 
Astronomer  Royal  of  Scotland,  to  fully  complete  the  the- 
ory thus  advanced. 

In  1874  Prof.  Smyth  with  his  wife  spent  four  months 
at  the  Great  Pyramid,  and  carefully  measured  it,  examined 
its  mathematical  features  and  proportions.  He  had  at  his 
command  the  best  mathematical  and  scientific  instruments, 
and  made  very  careful  and  painstaking  measurements. 

His  conclusions  are  given  at  great  length  in  his  works, 
“Life  and  Work  at  the  Great  Pyramid,”  and,  “Our  Inheri- 
tance in  the  Great  Pyramid,”  in  four  volumes.  We  are  in- 
debted tc  Dr.  Schaff  for  the  following  synopsis  of  Prof. 
Smyth’s  theory.* 

He  finds  the  proper  solution  of  the  riddle  of  this  pyr- 
amid, not  in  the  hieroglyphic  science  of  Egypt,  but  in  the 
mathematical  and  physical  science  of  our  day.  Its  mes- 
sage is  expressed  not  in  any  written  or  spoken  language, 
but  in  facts  and  features  now  interpreted  by  science.  Ac- 
cordingly the  pyramid  is  a prophetic  parable  in  stone,  con- 
structed on  the  principles  of  science,  to  convey  a new 
proof  to  men  in  the  present  age  of  the  existence  of  a per- 
sonal God,  his  supernatural  interference  in  patriarchal 
times,  and  his  revelation  of  the  first  and  second  advent  of 
Christ.  The  pyramid  stands  at  the  apex  (or  rather  ten 
miles  south  of  the  apex  of  the  delta  of  the  Nile),  and  m 
the  centre  of  the  habitable  globe,  or  the  land  surface  of 
the  earth.  It  stands  four  square  on  the  thirtieth  parallel 
of  latitude,  its  four  sides  facing  exactly  the  four  points  of 
the  compass, — north,  south,  east,  and  west.  There  are,  in 
each  side  of  the  base,  just  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  and 
one- fourth  cubits,  which  is  the  precise  number  of  days  in 


*"  Through  Bible  Lands.”  Dr.  Philip  Schaff. 


126 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  year  with  six  hours  added.  Its  chief  corner-stone  is 
not  at  the  base,  but  at  the  top,  the  apex,  and  symbolizes 
Christ,  “the  head  stone  of  the  corner.”  Ps.  1 1 8 : 22.  It  has 
no  trace  of  idolatry  in  writing,  painting,  or  sculpture.  The 
lidle and  empty  coffer  in  the  King’s  Chamber  was  never 
intended  for  a sarcophagus  or  royal  tomb,  but  it  is  a metro- 
logical jo  . nument,  or  standard  of  measure  of  capacity  for 
all  ages  and  nations,  equivalent  to  the  laver  of  the  He- 
brews and  the  four  quarters  of  English  measure.  It  ac- 
complishes the  mathematical  feat  of  squaring  the  circle,  the 
height  being  to  the  circumference  of  the  base  as  the  radi- 
us is  to  the  circumference  of  a circle.  The  very  name  of 
the  pyramid  means  “measure  of  wheat”  (from  puros , 
wheat,  and  metron,  measure).  The  Grand  Gallery,  which 
leads  to  the  King’s  Chamber,  symbolizes  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation, and  indicates  in  pyramid  inches  the  thirty-three 
years  of  the  Savior’s  earth  life.  The  first  ascending  pas- 
sage represents  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  the  other  narrow 
passages  mean  lower  religions.  Such  profound  designs 
and  wisdom  can  only  be  traced  to  divine  revelation,  like 
the  building  of  the  tabernacle  by  Moses.  The  Great  Pyr- 
amid though  in  Egypt,  was  not  of  Egypt,  but  stands  in 
contrast  to  Egyptian  idolatry  and  beast  worship.  It  was 
probably  built  by  Melchisedec,  the  friend  of  Abraham,  the 
worshiper  of  the  only  True  God,  the  priest-king  who  typi- 
fied our  Savior.  He  was  that  mysterious  stranger,  the 
Shepherd  “ Philitis”  or  Philition,  i.  e.,  a Philistian  from  Pal- 
estine, who,  as  Herodotus  was  informed,  fed  his  flocks  at 
G^ezeh,  at  the  place  and  at  the  time  when  the  Great  Pyra- 
mid was  built,  and  took  some  part  in  it.  Cheops  merely 
furnished  the  workmen  and  the  material  for  his  royal  sepul- 
chre; but  Melchisedec  executed  his  plan,  revealed  to  him 
from  God,  for  a monument  of  the  pure  faith,  in  the  midst 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  Vl’J 

of  surrounding  idolatry,  and  as  a sign  and  wonder  for  aft- 
er ages. 

Such  is  the  theory  given  to  the  world  by  Prof.  Smyth, 
a man  eminent  for  his  learning  and  acquirements  in  scien- 
tific work.  Since  the  publication  of  his  works  on  the  pyr- 
amid, a number  of  writers,  both  English  and  American, 
have  accepted  his  views,  and  have  also  written  and  pub- 
lished books  on  the  subject.  No  one  can  dispute  the 
correctness  of  the  Professor’s  measurements;  but  the  con- 
clusion he  draws,  and  the  speculations  in  which  he  indulges, 
meet  the  objections  of  the  best  Egyptian  scholars,  and  the 
theory  seems  to  meet  less  favor  now  than  it  did  twenty 
years  ago. 

Our  readers  will  have  noticed  the  statement  that  the 
Great  Pyramid  stands  exactly  on  the  thirtieth  parallel  of 
North  Latitude  and  that  its  four  sides  face  the  four  points 
of  the  compass.  The  exact  ami  scientific  manner  in  which  , 
this  has  been  done  leaves  no  doubt  that  the  builders  had 
a very  correct  and  thorough  knowledge  of  astronomy. 
The  placing  of  a building  exactly  with  the  points  of  the 
compass  is  called  by  astronomers  orientation. 

Richard  Proctor,  one  of  the  greatest  of  modern  astron 
omcrs,  says:  “ I think  if  there  is  one  purpose  among,  prob- 
ably, many  which  the  builders  had  in  their  thoughts  which 
can  be  unmistakably  inferred  from  the  pyramids  them- 
selves, independently  of  all  traditions,  it  is  the  purpose  of 
constructing  edifices  which  should  enable  men  to  obser/e 
the  heavenly  bodies  in  some  way  not  otherwise  obtainable. 

If  the  orienting  of  the  faces  of  the  pyramids,  that  is,  plac- 
ing them  to  the  points  of  the  compass,  had  been  effected 
in  some  such  way  as  is  used  in  the  orienting  of  most  of  our 
churches  and  cathedrals, — that  is  in  a manner  sufficiently 
exact  as  icsted  by  ordinary  observation, — it  might  reason- 


128 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ably  enough  be  inferred,  that  having  to  erect  square  build- 
ings for  any  purpose  whatever,  men  were  likely  enough  to 
set  them  four  square  to  the  cardinal  points,  and  that  there- 
fore no  stress  can  be  laid  on  this  feature  of  the  pyramids’ 
construction.  But  when  we  find  that  the  orienting  of  the 
pyramid  has  been  effected  with  extreme  care,  that  in  the 
case  of  the  Great  Pyramid,  which  is  typical  of  its  kind,  the 
orienting  bears  the  closest  astronomical  scrutiny,  we  can 
not  doubt  that  this  feature  indicates  an  astronomical  pur- 
pose as  surely  as  it  indicates  astronomical  methods.”* 

Prof.  Smyth  in  his  measurements  used  the  finest  and 
most  accurate  astronomical  instruments  of  this  wonderful 
age  of  invention  and  improvement,  and  he  found  that  the 
men  who  built  the  Great  Pyramid  more  than  four  thousand 
years  ago  measured  just  as  accurately  as  he  could,  that 
they  found  the  center  of  that  circle  along  which  the  Pole 
Star  moves,  found  the  spot  in  the  heavens  to  which  the 
earth’s  polar  axis  points — found  the  true  north  and  reared 
a mighty  building  accordingly.  And  there  it  stands  to- 
day, displaying  a scientific  knowledge  equal  to  anything 
attained  in  this  boasted  age.f 

We  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Great  Pyramid, -a  feat  of 
some  difficulty,  when  our  two  hundred  pounds  avoirdupois 
is  taken  into  consideration;  but  with  the  help  of  three 
Arabs,  and  a half  hour’s  climbing  and  resting,  we  reached 
the  top  and  found  a platform  thirty  feet  square. 

The  Arabs  who  assisted  in  the  ascent  by  pushing  and 
pulling  were  strong,  athletic  fellows.  They  understand 
their  business,  which  is  to  take  travelers  up  and  down  and 
get  all  the  backsheesh  out  of  them  they  possibly  can. 
They  speak  English,  and  encouraged  me  on  the  way  up  by 


* Contemporary  Review,  September,  1879. 
f •*  The  Great  Pyramid,”  page  29. 


Climbing  the  Great  Pyramid. 


130 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


saying,  “You  go  up  very  good,  very  good  Arab,  you  give 
me  backsheesh.” 

From  the  top  of  Cheops  a magnificent  view  is  had  of 
the  Nile  Valley  and  the  desert.  The  living  green  of  the 
garden-like  fields,  and  the  yellow  sand  of  the  desert  meet, 
and  the  line  between  the  two  is  sharply  marked.  It  is  a 
picture  of  life  and  death  set  in  sharp  and  striking  contrast 
The  fertile  fields,  receiving  the  life-giving  waters  of  the 
Nile,  are  teeming  with  living  green.  Groves  of  palm  trees, 
stately  and  majestic,  dot  all  the  plain  to  the-  east.  The 
City  of  Cairo,  with  its  mosques,  minarets,  citadel  and 
domes,  appears  beyond  the  Nile  like  a jewel  in  a setting 
of  emerald  green.  To  the  west  an  ocean  of  sand  stretches 
away,  far  beyond  the  line  of  human  vision.  Silent  and 
mysterious,  it  is  a fit  emblem  of  death.  To  the  south  the 
Nile,  like  a silver  thread  in  a ribbon  of  green,  reaches  out 
toward  the  Nubian  border.  It  is  a wonderful  panorama, 
and  can  be  seen  from  no  other  spot  in  the  world  except 
from  the  top  of  the  Great  Pyramid. 

The  descent  of  the  pyramid,  while  not  so  difficult  as 
the  ascent,  is  exceedingly  trying  to  the  muscles  of  the  low- 
er limbs,  and  one  feels  the  effects  for  days  after  the  exer- 
cise has  been  taken.  After  coming  down  we  were  beset  on 
all  sides  by  demands  for  backsheesh.  Our  guides  who  had 
been  fully  and  amply  paid  for  their  service  were  now  ask- 
ing for  money  with  as  much  earnestness  as  if  they  had  not 
been  paid  a cent.  Even  the  dignified  sheik  of  tb  ~ pyra- 
mids, as  the  chief  man  of  the  Arab  village  is  called,  laid 
claim  to  a gratuity  after  we  had  paid  him  in  full  the  price 
agreed  upon.  Out  of  sheer  necessity,  to  rid  ourselves  of 
the  importunate  crowd,  we  Distributed  a few  small  coins 
and  hurriedly  left  them  comparing  what  they  had  received. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


THIRD  PYRAMID  ST  COW  O PYRAMID. 

Diagram  of  the  Great  Pyramid. 

we  had  an  abundance  of  pure  fresh  air  and  plenty  of  light. 
In  the  interior  the  darkness  of  Egypt  is  felt,  the  air  is  hot 


Having  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Great  Pyramid  we 
determined  to  explore  its  interior.  This  was,  in  some  re- 
spects, a more  difficult  task  than  the  first.  On  the  outside 


132 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  stifling  and  smells  strongly  of  bats.  Most  of  the  inte- 
rior passageways  are  low  and  narrow  and  the  steep  floors 
are  very  slippery.  Here  we  must  stoop  and  crawl  to  con- 
quer. Our  trustworthy  guide-book  tells  us  that  travelers  at 
all  predisposed  to  apoplectic  or  fainting  fits  should  not  by 
any  means  attempt  to  penetrate  the  stifling  chambers  of  the 
interior. 

Before  going  into  the  narrow  passageway  we  give  the 
following  measurements  from  Baedeker,  which  are  approxi- 
mately correct.  The  diagram  here  given  will  assist  in  ob- 
taining a correct  idea  of  the  interior  of  Cheops.  The  let- 
ters in  the  diagram  may  be  plainly  seen  with  the  aid  of  a 
magnifying  glass. 

The  entrance  passage  CCC  is  three  feet,  four  inches  in 
height  and  three  feet,  eleven  inches  in  width.  It  descends 
in  a straight  direction  at  an  angle  of  twenty-six  degrees  and 
forty-one  seconds,  and  is  altogether  three  hundred  and 
nineteen  and  a half  feet  in  length.  The  passage  ends  at  F, 
a subterranean  chamber  excavated  in  the  solid  rock  on 
which  the  pyramid  rests.  This  chamber  is  not  now  accessi- 
ble. At  DD  on  the  diagram  is  the  first  ascending  passage, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  in  length.  It  ascends 
at  the  same  angle  as  the  first  and  reaches  the  Grand  Gal- 
lery, L,  and  through  it  the  King’s  Chamber,  O.  TT  are  air 
shafts  made  for  the  purpose  of  ventilating  the  King’s 
Chamber.  They  are  six  by  eight  inches.  The  one  on  the 
north  side  is  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  and  the  other  one 
hundred  and  seventy-four  feet  long.  At  the  entrance  to 
the  Grand  Gallery  a horizontal  passage  leads  to  the 
Queen’s  Chamber,  I.  This  room  is  eighteen  feet,  ten  inch- 
es long,  seventeen  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet,  four  inches 
high,  including  the  pointed  roof,  which  consists  of  enor- 
mous blocks  of  rock  placed  obliquely  and  leaning  against 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


133 


each  other,  and  projecting  a d'istance  of  five  and  a half  feet 
beyond  the  sides  of  the  walls  into  the  surrounding  mason- 
ry. At  the  lower  end  of  the  Grand  Gallery  a shaft,  EE, 
descends  to  the  Chamber  F.  The  dark  line,  XX,  shows  the 
forced  passage  cut  and  blasted  by  the  Arabs  A.  D.  813-33, 
when  they  succeeded  in  finding  the  passage  leading  to  the 
King’s  Chamber.  ZZ  show  the  outer  granite  casing  of  the 
Pyramid,  long  since  removed.  VV  are  the  cartouches  01- 
names  of  the  supposed  builders  of  the  pyramid. 

The  entrance  to  Cheops  is  on  the  thirteenth  layer,  or 
tier  of  stones,  and  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  structure, 
forty-eight  feet  above  the  ground.  Having  secured  compe- 
tent and  trusty  guides  with  a good  supply  of  torches  and 
candles  we  enter  the  opening  and  find  ourselves  in  a dark, 
rapidly-descending  passage,  so  low  that  we  must  stoop  as 
much  as  possible  in  order  to  pass  through.  It  is  so  steep 
that  every  step  must  be  taken  with  great  care.  A slip 
would  result  in  a serious  disaster.  The  angle  of  descent  is 
somewhat  steeper  than  what  is  known  as  a quarter  pitch 
comb  roof.  The  stooping  posture  becomes  very  tiresome 
and  makes  the  entrance  so  much  the  more  difficult.  The 
air  is  stifling  hot  and  the  sweat  bursts  from  every  pore  in 
the  body.  The  experience  is  something  like  a hot-air  bath. 
After  going  down  a distance  of  sixty  feet  we  find  a pas- 
sageway ascending  at  about  the  same  angle,  running  in  the 
direction  of  the  center  of  the  structure.  Entering  this  and 
climbing  up  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  we  enter 
the  Grand  Gallery,  which  is  twenty-eight  feet  high,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  long,  and  seven  feet  at  its 
greatest  width.  Here  we  stand  erect,  the  first  time  since 
we  entered  the  pyramid,  and  breathe  and  look  about  us 
with  more  freedom.  As  our  torches  light  up  the  dark  hall- 
way innumerable  bats,  disturbed  in  their  slumbers,  flit  about 


134 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


us,  flapping  their  wings  in  our  faces,  gnashing  their  teeth, 
and  emitting  an  odor  which  makes  the  hot,  stifling  air  almost 
unendurable.  But  we  do  not  think  of  turning  back.  We 
came  to  see  and  are  not 
to  be  deterred  by  these 
difficulties.  Pressing 
on  we  reach  the  upper 
end  of  the  hall  and  here 
burning  some  magnesi- 
um wire  we  have  a light 
equal  to  that  made  by 
e 1 e c t r i c i t v,  and  the 
beauty  of  the  Grand 
Gallery  is  revealed  to 
us.  The  work  of  pol- 
ishing and  jointing  the 
great  blocks  of  fine- 
grained limestone,  with 
which  the  sides  and 
roof  of  the  hall  are 
formed,  has  been  done 
with  wonderful  accu- 
racy. The  builders  of 
this  old  pyramid  pos- 
sessed an  unsurpassable 
and  marvelous  skill  in 
masonry.  So  smoothly 
are  the  stones  polished 
and  so  closely  and 
evenly  joined  together 
that  you  could  not  place  The  Grand  Gallery. 

the  point  of  a needle  or 

even  the  finest  hair  into  the  joints  of  the  stones.  One 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


135 


scarcely  knows  which  to  admire  most,  the  great  magnitude 
of  the  work  or  the  wonderful  skill  shown  by  the  workmen. 
Think  of  a structure  containing  seven  million  tons  of  solid 
stonework  standing  at  least  four  thousand  years!  And  the 
masonry  of  these  interior  chambers  has  not  swerved  a hair- 
breadth from  the  position  in  which  it  was  laid  so  many  cen- 
turies ago. 

At  the  end  of  the  Grand  Gallery  is  a small  passage  the 
entrance  to  which  is  shown  in  our  engravings.  The  opening 
is  so  low  that  we  must  crawl  in  and  through  the  passage, 
which  is  twenty-two  feet  long.  After  passing  through  we 
find  ourselves  in  the  King’s  Chamber,  the  most  interesting 
part  of  the  pyramid.  The  north  and  south  sides  of  the 
chamber  are  each  seventeen  feet  in  length,  the  east  and 
west  sides  thirty-four  and  a half  feet,  and  the  height  is 
nineteen  feet.  The  floor  of  the  chamber  is  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  and  a half  feet  above  the  solid  rock  founda- 
tion upon  which  the  pyramid  stands.  The  walls,  floor  and 
ceiling  are  constructed  of  red  granite  brought  from  the 
quarries  at  Assuan.  The  granite  blocks  are  beautifully  pol- 
ished and  are  fitted  together  with  wonderful  skill.  We 
searched  at  some  places,  even  with  the  aid  of  a powerful 
magnesium  light,  for  the  joining  seams  between  the  stones, 
but  were  unable  to  make  them  out.  Nine  enormous  slabs 
of  polished  granite,  each  eighteen  and  a half  feet  long,  form 
the  roof  or  ceiling  of  this  beautiful  chamber.  In  the  center 
stands  an  empty,  lidless  coffer  or  sarcophagus,  one  corner 
of  which  has  been  broken  away.  It  is  seven  and  a half  feet 
long,  three  feet,  three  inches  wide  and  three  feet,  four  inch- 
es high.  It  was  cut  from  a large  block  of  granite,  the  mas- 
sive sides  of  which  ring  with  a clear  tone  when  struck  a 
heavy  blow.  It  bears  no  trace  of  name  or  inscription  of 
any  kind.  What  was  this  granite  coffer  used  for?  Was  it 


I36  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

the  sarcophagus  of  one  of  the  ancient  kings  of  Egypt,  or 
was  it,  as  Smyth  supposes,  a sacred  standard  of  measure? 
Who  can  answer  the  question?  Empty  and  lidless  it  was 
found  when  an  entrance  was  forced  into  the  King’s  Cham- 
ber a thousand  years  ago,  and  so  it  stands  to-day,  guarding 
well  its  own  secret. 

After  spending  some  time  in  the  King’s  Chamber  we 
carefully  retrace  our  steps.  The  Elder  and  the  writer,  with 
six  Arabs,  compose  the  party.  We  think  of  the  English- 
man who  was  robbed  of  all  his  possessions  in  these  dark 
galleries  a few  years  ago,  but  as  it  is  not  pleasant  to  con- 
template we  dismiss  the  thought.  Going  down  the  steep 
stone  floor  one  of  the  Arabs  slips  and  falls,  but  escapes 
without  serious  injury.  At  last  we  see  the  glimmering 
light  at  the  entrance  and  emerge  from  the  awe-inspiring 
chambers  and  galleries,  glad  to  breathe  again  the  pure  air 
of  heaven. 

We  turn  away  from  the  pyramid  with  a feeling  of  awe. 
Having  climbed  to  the  top  and  crawled  to  its  centre  it 
seems  greater  and  more  stupendous  than  ever.  It  stands 
alone  in  its  grandeur,  “monarch  of  all  that  human  hands 
have  reared,”  and  will  doubtless  stand  until  the  earth  and 
sea  shall  give  up  their  dead. 

“ I asked  of  Time:  ' To  whom  arose  this  high, 

Majestic  pile,  here  mouldering  in  decay?’ 

He  answered  not,  but  swifter  sped  his  way, 

With  ceaseless  pinions  winnowing  the  sky. 

“To  Fame  I turned:  ‘ Speak  thou  whose  sons  defy 
The  waste  of  years  and  deathless  works  essay!’ 

She  heaved  a sigh,  as  one  to  grief  a prey, 

And  silent,  downward  cast  her  eye. 

“Onward  I passed,  but  sad  and  thoughtful  grown; 

When,  stern  in  aspect,  o’er  the  ruined  shrine, 

I saw  oblivion  stalk  from  stone  to  stone. 


The  Sphinx  from  the  Northeast. 

burial-ground  around  the  pyramids.  Vedder,  the  great  ar- 
tist, has  painted  a picture  which  he  named  “ The  Secret  of 
the  Sphinx.”  “ In  the  picture  we  see  a brown,  half-naked, 
toil-worn  fellah  laying  his  ear  to  the  stone  lips  of  a colos- 
sal sphinx,  buried  to  the  neck  in  sand.  Some  instinct  of 
the  old  Egyptian  blood  tells  him  the  creature  is  God-like. 
He  is  conscious  of  a great  mystery  lying  far  back  in  the 
past.  He  has,  perhaps,  a dim,  confused  notion  that  the 
Big  Head  knows  it  all,  whatever  it  may  be.  He  has  never 
heard  of  the  morning  song  of  Memnon;  but  fancies,  some- 
how, that  those  closed  lips  might  speak  if  questioned. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  1 37 

“ ‘ Dread  Power!  ’ I cried,  ‘ tell  me,  whose  vast  design?  ’ 

He  checked  my  further  speech,  in  sullen  tone; 

‘Whose  once  it  was,  I care  not;  now  ’tis  mine.’  ” 

We  next  visit  the  colossal  Sphinx,  about  eight  hun- 
dred steps  from  the  Great  Pyramid.  It  is  one  among  the 
most  famous  monuments  in  Egypt.  For  thousands  of 
years  it  has  kept  its  silent,  sleepless  watch  over  the  vast 


138 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Fellah  and  sphinx  are  alone  in  the  desert.  It  is  night,  and 
the  stars  are  shining.  Has  he  chosen  the  right  hour? 
What  does  he  seek  to  know?  What  does  he  hope  to  hear? 
Each  must  interpret  for  himself  the  secret  of  the  sphinx.”* 
The  Sphinx  is  hewn  out  of  the  natural  rock,  but  pieces 
of  stone  have  been  added  when  necessary.  It  has  been 
moulded  into  the  shape  of  a colossal  lion  in  a recum- 
bent posture,  with  a human  head.  The  body  was  left  in  a 
rough  shape,  but  the  head  and  face  were  carefully  finished 
An  early  Arabian  writer  says  that  the  face  was  very  pleas- 
ing, of  a graceful  and  beautiful  type  and  that  one  might  al- 
most say  of  it  “ that  it  smiles  winningly.”  The  body  of  the 
lion  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  the  paws  are  fifty 
feet  long  and  between  them  is  a small  temple.  The  dis- 
tance from  the  top  of  the  head  to  the  pavement  on  which 
the  figure  rests  is  about  seventy  feet.  The  head  is  thirty 
feet  long  and  the  face  fourteen  feet  wide.  The  ear,  accord- 
ing to  Mariette,  is  four  and  a half  feet,  the  nose  five  feet, 
seven  inches,  and  the  mouth  seven  feet,  seven  inches  in 
length.  These  measurements  do  not  convey  to  the  mind 
the  immense  size  of  the  monument.  One  must  see  it  to 
fully  realize  what  it  is.  The  Sphinx  is  now  but  a ruin  of 
what  it  once  was.  The  face  is  much  mutilated,  but  it  is 
still  imposing  in  its  grandeur.  The  Arabs  call  it  Abu  7 
hoi , “ father  of  terror,”  derived  from  bel-hit,  the  watchful. 
“We  shall  die,  and  Islam  shall  wither  away,  and  still  that 
sleepless  rock  will  be  watching  and  watching  the  works  of 
a new,  busy  race  with  the  same  sad,  earnest  eyes  and  the 
same  sad,  earnest  mien  everlastingly.  You  dare  not  mock 
the  Sphinx.” 

A few  steps  southeast  of  the  Sphinx  is  a granite  tem- 
ple, discovered  by  M.  Mariette  in  1853.  The  chambers  are 


*A.  B.  Edwards. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  139 

kept  free  from  sand  and  are  easy  of  access.  The  material 
is  alabaster  and  the  red  granite  from  Assuan.  The  archi- 
tecture is  simple  in  style.  The  skill  of  the  stone-cutter 
and  mason  is  fully  equal  to  that  displayed  in  the  Grand 
Gallery  and  King’s  Chamber  of  the  pyramid.  The  great 
masses  of  granite  are  shaped  with  exquisite  skill,  and  the 
lapse  of  ages  has  not  moved  them  a hairbreadth  from 
where  the  masons  laid  them.  We  spent  but  two  days  at 
the  Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx,  only  time  enough  to  become 
fully  impressed  with  the  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  these 
vast  monuments  of  antiquity. 


The  Granite  Temple , the  Sphinx  and  the  Great  Pyramid 
from  the  Southeast. 


the  Author's  Route. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  Nile. — The  Sakkieh  and  Shaduf — Memphis , the  Noph  of  the  Bible. 
— Sakkara. — The  Tombs. — Embalming  the  Dead. — The  Serapeum. 
— The  Temple  of  Tih. — The  Step  Pyramid. — Our  Southward  Way. 


JjSWENTY  years  ago  the  Nile  trip  was  one  of  much 
outd  difficulty  and  could  only  be  made  by  those  who  had 

F plenty  of  money  to  spend.  Steamboats  now  run 
regularly  as  far  south  as  Assuan  and  at  stated  seasons  as 
far  south  as  Wady  Haifa  and  the  second  cataract.  The 
cost  of  a trip  from  Cairo  to  the  second  cataract  and  return 
by  tourist  steamer,  including  all  expenses  for  dragoman, 
interpreters,  donkeys  and  camels  for  excursions  to  visit 
ruined  temples  by  the  way,  is  about  three  hundred  and  fif- 
ty dollars.  Something  must  be  added  to  this  for  the  inev- 
itable demand  for  backsheesh. 

All  necessary  arrangements  are  completed  and  on  the 
twenty-sixth  day  of  December  we  bid  farewell  to  Cairo  and 
go  on  board  the  small  steamer  Tervfik, which  is  to  take  us 
as  far  as  Assuan  on  our  journey  southward.  Our  object 
in  going  up  the  Nile  is  to  see  the  ruins  of  the  old  temples 
and  the  rock-cut  tombs,  which  reveal  to  us  to-day  the  his- 
tory of  ancient  Egypt  and  confirm  the  Bible  story.  Here 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  we  shall  see  the  quarries,  the  tem- 
ples, and  the  tombs  in  which  the  children  of  Israel  were 
made  to  serve.  “And  they  made  their  lives  bitter  with 
hard  bondage,  in  mortar,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner 
of  service  in  the  field:  all  their  service,  wherein  they  made 
them  serve,  was  with  rigour.”  Ex.  i:  14. 

142 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


M3 


The  Lord  willing,  we  shall  continue  our  journey  as  far 
south  as  the  second  cataract  and  visit  the  land  of  Ethiopia, 
the  Cush  of  the  Bible.  This  will  take  us  south  of  the 
Tropic  of  Cancer,  and  we  shall  spend  some  time  at  least 
in  the  torrid  zone  of  Africa.  The  time  allotted  for  the 
journey  of  “ a thousand  miles  up  the  Nile”  is  one  month, 
so  that  we  shall  not  return  to  Cairo  until  the  latter  part  of 
January,  1893. 

As  we  embark  for  a month’s  voyage  on  the  broad  wa- 
ters of  the  Nile  let  us  give  a brief  sketch  of  the  river.  The 
Nile  is  said  to  be  the  longest  river  in  the  world.  It  rises 
under  the  equator,  and,  flowing  northward,  empties  into 
the  Mediterranean  on  the  northern  coast  of  Egypt.  It  has 
been  explored  for  thirty-five  hundred  miles,  and  is  about 
two-thirds  of  a mile  wide  at  its  widest  place.  It  flows  for 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  without  an  affluent.  Although 
for  all  this  distance  it  receives  the  help  of  no  inflowing 
stream,  making  its  way  through  a frightful  desert  and  con- 
stantly losing  by  evaporation  and  the  water  taken  out  for 
irrigation  in  Nubia  and  Egypt,  yet  it  empties  into  the  Med- 
iterranean Sea  an  immense  volume  of  water. 

The  Nile  is  the  life  of  Egypt.  Without  it  the  country 
would  be  but  a desert  waste.  The  inundation  of  the  river 
is  caused  by  the  heavy  rainfall  in  Abyssinia.  At  the  first 
cataract  the  river  begins  to  rise  about  the  first  of  June,  and 
a steady  increase  goes  on  until  the  middle  of  July.  It  then 
remains  stationary  for  several  weeks,  and  then  increases 
until  its  greatest  height  is  reached  in  October.  It  then  be- 
gins to  subside  and  falls  steadily  until  June,  when  its  low- 
est level  is  reached.  The  average  rise  of  the  river  at  the 
first  cataract,  where  there  is  a Nilometer,  a gauge  made  to 
measure  the  overflow,  is  forty-five  feet;  at  Thebes,  thirty- 
eight  feet,  and  at  Cairo,  twenty-five  feet.  A rise  of  a few 


144 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


feet  more  or  less  than  the  average  is  always  attended  with 
disaster.  The  former  causes  an  overflow  of  the  embank- 
ments made  to  control  the  water  in  Lower  Egypt,  and  the 
latter  results  in  a famine.  When  there  is  a “good  Nile,” 
as  the  Egyptians  say,  when  it  rises  forty-five  feet  at  Assu- 
an, there  is  general  rejoicing  all  over  the  land,  for  it  means 
a year  of  plenty  for  the  farmers. 

It  was  on  account  of  the  continued  low  water  in  the 
Nile  that  the  seven  years  of  famine  followed  the  seven 
years  of  plenty,  caused  by  a “good  Nile,”  of  which  we  have 
such  an  interesting  account  in  the  Bible.  It  will  be  no- 
ticed that  Pharaoh  saw  the  kine  come  up  from  the  river, 
so  the  years  of  plenty  and  of  famine  came  from  the  river. 

The  Nile  is  often  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  under 
various  names.  Jeremiah  says,  “ Who  is  this  that  cometh 
up  as  a flood,  whose  waters  are  moved  as  the  rivers? 
Egypt  riseth  up  like  a flood,  and  his  waters  are  moved  like 
the  rivers.”  The  prophet  Amos  also  refers  to  the  Nile  as 
the  flood  of  Egypt. 

Concerning  the  Nile  Isaiah  utters  this  remarkable 
prophecy,  which  has  been  literally  fulfilled:  “The  Lord 
shall  utterly  destroy  the  tongue  of  the  Egyptian  sea;  and 
with  his  mighty  wind  shall  he  shake  his  hand  over  the  riv- 
er, and  shall  smite  it  in  the  seven  streams,  and  make  men 
go  over  dryshod.”  Isa.  n:  15.  Originally  the  Nile  divid- 
ed a few  miles  north  of  where  Cairo  now  is  and  flowed  into 
the  sea  by  seven  mouths.  These  seven  streams,  the  proph- 
et says,  shall  be  smitten,  and  smitten  they  have  been.  To- 
day the  Nile  has  two  artificially-constructed  openings,  Dami- 
etta  and  Rosetta,  by  which  its  waters  pour  into  the  sea. 
Five  have  been  dried  up  and  men  go  over  dryshod.  How 
the  words  of  the  prophet  have  been  fulfilled! 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


145 


Egypt,  it  has  been  said,  is  the  gift  of  the  Nile,  and  this 
saying  is  literally  true.  The  annual  overflow  leaves  the 
ground  covered  with  a thin  coating  of  mud  which  is  ex- 
ceedingly fertile.  Even  before  the  water  has  fully  reced- 
ed from  the  fields,  the  farmer  sows  the  seed,  thus  literally 
casting  his  bread  upon  the  waters,  hoping  for  and  receiv- 
ing a rich  return  after  many  days.  The  deposit  of  the  riv- 
er, he  says,  is  not  mud,  but  gold.  The  ground  needs  no 
fertilizing,  and  but  little  labor  is  required  to  prepare  it  for 
and  put  in  the  crops.  A light  pole  is  dragged  over  the 
fields  and  the  seed  is  covered  with  mud.  Two,  and  some- 
times three,  abundant  crops  are  raised  in  one  year.  When 
the  waters  recede  the  dry  atmosphere  takes  up  the  mois- 
ture very  rapidly,  and  water  must  be  given  to  the  growing 
crops.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  many  canals  are  made 
to  carry  the  water  to  the  farmers  from  the  river,  and  from 
the  river  and  canals  the  water  must  be  raised  to  the  level 
of  the  fields.  This  requires  an  immense  amount  of  labor, 
for,  as  the  Nile  recedes,  the  water  must  be  raised  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet. 

For  the  purpose  of  raising  the  water  the  sakkieh  (a  wa- 
ter-wheel) and  the  shaduf  are  principally  used.  The  for- 
mer is  a wheel,  hung  over  the  canal  or  a well  dug  near  the 
river,  with  a double  endless  rope  thrown  over  it,  which 
reaches  into  the  water.  At  regular  intervals  of  about 
eighteen  inches,  earthen  jars,  holding  about  one  gallon 
each,  are  securely  fastened  between  the  ropes.  The  wheel 
is  geared  to  a long  arm,  to  which  oxen  or  camels  are 
hitched.  The  wheel  turns  slowly,  the  jars  go  down  empty 
on  one  side,  come  up  full  on  the  other  and  empty  into  a 
trough,  from  which  the  water  is  carried  in  a ditch  to  the 
fields. 


146 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  shaduf  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  primitive 
methods  of  raising  water.  It  was  used  in  Egypt  when 
Abraham  first  went  to  that  country,  and,  without  the  slight- 
est change  or  modification,  it  is  still  used  to-day.  It  was 
used  by  the  children  of  Israel  to  raise  water  to  the  brick- 
yard, just  as  it  is  used  by  the  brick-makers  for  the  same 
purpose  here  now.  Some  of  our  readers  will  recall  the  old- 
fashioned  well-sweep,  now  almost  entirely  superseded  by 
the  pump,- — a long  pole,  so  fastened  to  a beam  that  it 
swung  up  and  down  easily,  at  one  end  a heavy  weight  at- 
tached, at  the  other  a rope  and  a bucket.  This  was  pat- 
terned after  the  shaduf,  which  has  been  in  use  in  Egypt 
for  at  least  four  thousand  years. 

In  the  soft,  steep  banks  of  the  Nile,  or  of  the  numer- 
ous canals  which  pass  through  the  land,  terraces  are  made 
about  ten  feet  above  each  other.  The  lower  one  has  a 
trench  cut  into  it  from  the  river.  The  water  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trench  is  about  two  feet  deep.  On  either  side 
of  the  trench  is  a heavy  post  or  a strong  column  built 
of  sun-dried  brick.  The  posts  or  columns  stand  about  six 
feet  apart.  A cross-beam  is  firmly  attached  to  the  top  of 
the  pillars,  and  under  this  poles  twelve  feet  long  are  at- 
tached, four  feet  from  the  heavy  end,  by  means  of  strong 
cords  made  of  the  fiber  of  the  palm  tree.  The  poles  are 
tied  so  that  they  swing  up  and  down  easily.  Behind,  that 
is,  at  the  shorter  end  of  the  poles,  the  end  farthest  from 
the  river,  is  fastened  a heavy  lump  of  clay,  and  from  the 
other  end  hangs  a rope  or  long  palm  twig,  to  the  lower  end 
of  which  is  fastened  a closely-woven  basket,  or  a leathern 
bucket.  On  top  of  the  terrace  a reservoir  is  formed  of  lay- 
ers of  reeds  and  palm  stems,  well  daubed  with  Nile  mud 
An  Arab  stands  on  either  side  of  the  trench;  by  pulling 
(down  on  the  ropes  the  buckets  are  lowered  and  filled  with 


The  Shaduf.  Raising  Water  in  Egypt. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


149 


water.  The  clay  balls  on  the  shorter  ends  of  the  poles 
raise  the  full  buckets,  the  laborer  guiding  them  and  emp- 
tying their  contents  into  the  reservoir.  From  this  reservoir 
the  water  is  raised  by  the  same  means  into  another,  and  an- 
other, the  number  depending  on  the  height  of  the  banks  of 
the  river.  At  one  place  we  saw  four  shadufs,  one  above 
the  other,  with  eight  men  raising  water  to  the  level  of  the 
fields.  The  full  page  photogravure  will  give  our  readers  a 
good  idea  of  the  shaduf. 

Having  reached  the  highest  reservoir,  the  water  flows 
by  a ditch  to  a series  of  border  channels,  and  is  then  con- 
ducted in  smaller  streams  through  the  fields  that  are  to  be 
watered.  When  the  river  rises  the  terraces,  columns  and 
reservoirs  are  swept  away,  and  new  ones  must  be  con- 
structed every  year.* 

The  men  who  work  at  these  water-raising  apparatuses 
are  a class  of  their  own.  They  are  tall,  straight  and  mus- 
cular fellows,  and  are  called  “ fathers  of  the  shaduf.”  They 
stand  by  the  river  bank,  lowering  and  raising  the  buckets, 
singing  in  a low  monotone  a plaintive  melody  that  sounds 
exceedingly  mournful  as  it  is  borne  to  us  over  the  waters 
of  the  Nile.  It  seems  to  speak  of  unremitting  toil  and  op- 
pression. With  but  a simple  cloth  about  their  loins,  the 
“fathers  of  the  shaduf”  look  like  bronze  statues  of  Hercu- 
les in  motion  as  they  raise  the  life-giving  waters  of  the  Nile 
to  the  fields  of  corn  and  wheat. 

In  the  irrigation  of  his  fields  the  Egyptian  uses  the 
same  methods  employed  when  Moses  lived  and  wrote  the 
books  of  the  Pentateuch.  He  said:  “ For  the  land,  whith- 
er thou  goest  in  to  possess  it,  is  not  as  the  land  of  Egypt, 
from  whence  ye  came  out,  where  thou  sowedst  thy  seed, 
and  wateredst  it  with  thy  foot,  as  a garden  of  herbs:  but 


*Kingsley’s  "Egypt.” 


15° 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  land,  whither  ye  go  to  possess  it,  is  a land  of  hills  and 
valleys,  and  drinketh  water  of  the  rain  of  heaven.”  Deut. 
1 1 : io,  ii.  After  the  water  has  been  raised  to  the  level  of 
the  fields,  the  Egyptian  literally  waters  the  land  with  his 
feet.  Going  into  his  little  field  or  garden,  as  we  have  seen 
him  do  many  times,  often  without  hoe  or  other  implement 
in  his  hand,  he  opens  and  closes  the  ditches  with  his  feet, 
allowing  the  water  to  run  here  and  .there,  and  leading  it  to 
all  parts  of  his  field.  We  look  upon  the  very  method  of 
irrigation  described  by  Moses  in  the  Scripture  quoted. 
The  conditions  named  by  the  inspired  writer  are  all  met 
here.  The  land  is  flat  and  level,  and  above  the  delta  it 
drinketh  not  the  “ water  of  the  rain  of  heaven.”  And  yet, 
although  Egypt  is,  practically  speaking,  without  rain,  it  is 
deluged  with  an  abundance  of  water  each  year. 

One  of  the  questions  which  came  up  time  and  again 
in  our  travels  in  Egypt,  is  why,  in  these  days  of  modern  im- 
provement and  advancement,  better  means  for  irrigating 
the  land  have  not  been  introduced.  Why  should  not  steam 
be  used  to  raise  the  water?  The  question  is  partly  an- 
swered in  the  broken  and  rusted  engines,  pumps  and  water- 
pipes,  which  are  to  be  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  river  to-day. 

The  former  ruler  of  Egypt  sought  to  lighten  the  heavy 
burdens  of  the  farmer,  and  placed  a number  of  steam 
pumps  and  engines  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  in  Upper 
Egypt.  They  were  used  a short  time,  and  then  the  natives 
fell  back  to  the  old  method.  The  farmer  did  not  like  the 
new  plan.  It  was  easier  than  the  old,  but  fuel  must  be 
gathered  for  the  engine,  and  it  got  out  of  repair.  He 
liked  the  old  way  of  doing  things  the  best.  “ Inshallah" 
(God  willing),  he  said,  “my  fathers  used  the  shaduf  all  the 
days  of  their  lives.  Who  am  I that  I should  depart  from 
the  ways  of  my  fathers;  am  I wiser  than  they?”  So  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


151 

engines,  pumps  and  water-pipes  rust  unused  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nile,  while,  at  the  side  of  them,  stand  the  “fathers 
of  the  shaduf,”  with  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  beating 
down  on  their  naked  backs,  raising  the  water  and  singing 
their  mournful  song,  as  their  fathers  did  forty  centuries 
ago.  It  is  a case  of  adherence  to  the  customs  of  the  fa- 
thers, more  to  be  commended  for  its  conservatism  than  for 
its  wisdom.  In  Lower  Egypt,  and  at  some  of  the  sugar 
plantations  where  the  European  influence  is  stronger,  the 
steam  engine  is  used  in  raising  water  from  the  Nile. 

We  have  been  particularly  struck,  as  we  have  traveled 
up  the  Nile,  with  the  condition  of  the  people.  There  is 
much  hard  work  and  oppression,  but  they  seem  to  be  well 
fed  and  contented,  even  happy,  in  their  lot.  Miss  Marti- 
neau  says:  “ I was  agreeably  surprised,  in  my  travels 
throughout  Egypt,  by  the  appearance  of  the  people. 
About  the  dirt  there  can  be  no  doubt,  the  dirt  of  the  dwell- 
ings and  the  diseases  which  proceed  from  a want  of  cleanli- 
ness; but  the  people  appeared  to  us  to  be  sleek,  well  fed 
and  cheerful.  I am  not  sure  I saw  an  ill-fed  person  in  all 
Egypt.  There  are  hardships  enough  of  other  kinds,  abun- 
dance of  misery  to  sadden  the  heart  of  the  traveler;  but 
not  that,  so  far  as  we  saw,  of  want  of  food.  I am  told,  and 
no  doubt  truly,  that  this  is  owing  to  the  law  of  the  Koran, 
by  which  every  man  is  bound  to  share  what  he  has,  even 
to  the  last  mouthful,  with  his  brother  in  need.”  If  the 
same  rule  of  distribution  were  observed  all  over  the  world, 
there  would  be  no  hungry  people,  for  there  is  enough  for 
all  and  to  spare. 

And  now  we  are  steaming  up  the  Nile,  which  “flows 
through  old,  hushed  Egypt  and  its  sands,  like  some  grave, 
mighty  thought,  threading  a dream.”  While  we  have  been 
writing  about  river,  water-wheel  and  shaduf,  we  have 


152 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


reached  our  first  stopping-place.  Firmly  moored  to  the 
shore  is  a large  flatboat,  on  which  is  painted  in  large  let- 
ters the  name  Bedrachin.  It  is  the  landing-place  at  the 
ruins  of  Memphis,  the  ancient  capital  of  Lower  Egypt. 

A hundred  men  and  boys  are  on  the  shore,  with  near- 
ly as  many  donkeys.  As  there  are  at  least  three  donkeys 
for  every  passenger  we  expect  a lively  time,  and  are  not 
disappointed.  No  sooner  have  we  stepped  ashore  than  we 
are  surrounded  by  the  yelling  crowd,  each  solicitous  that 
we  shall  mount  his  donkey.  The  din  and  confusion  are 
simply  indescribable.  We  try  to  take  a stand  and  see  what 
is  going  on,  but  it  is  useless;  we  are  pulled  and  shoved  by 
the  crowd,  until  at  last,  seeing  a good-sized  animal,  we 
make  a rush  for  him  and  in  a few  minutes  are  mounted  and 
away  from  the  yelling  crowd.  The  Elder  has  also  succeed- 
ed in  mounting,  and  we  start  for  a long  ride  to  Memphis 
and  across  the  desert  to  Sakkara  and  the  tombs  of  the  sa- 
cred Apis,  known  as  the  Serapeum. 

The  Hebrew  name  for  the  ancient  Egyptian  city  of 
Men-Nefrew  (Pyramid  City),  known  to  us  as  Memphis,  was 
Noph,  and  except  in  Hosea  9:  6,  where  it  is  called  Mem- 
phis, the  former  name  is  applied  to  it  in  the  Bible.  It  was 
a flourishing  city  when  the  Great  Pyramid  was  built,  and 
when  Joseph  was  taken  from  the  prison  to  the  palace  of 
Pharaoh  to  interpret  the  dreams  of  the  ruler  of  Egypt  he 
passed  through  the  streets  of  that  city.  The  early  history 
is  lost  in  the  dim  ages  of  the  past,  and  we  have  not  space 
to  speak  of  the  more  recent  records.  Memphis,  suffice  it 
to  say,  is  as  old  as  the  history  of  the  country  of  which  it  was 
for  so  many  centuries  the  proud  capital. 

Mounted  on  our  trusty  little  donkeys,  we  are  now 
ready  for  a ride  to  explore  the  ruins  of  Noph,  to  verify  the 
truth  of  the  Bible,  for  it  says:  “Noph  shall  be  waste  and 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


153 


desolate  without  an  inhabitant.”  Above  us  is  the  cloudless 
sky,  from  which  the  sun  shines  even  in  the  middle  of  win- 
ter with  force  enough  to  make  a sunshade  quite  desirable. 
The  air  is  very  clear,  so  that  the  most  distant  objects  seem 
very  near.  The  Great  Pyramid,  which  stood  like  a sentinel 
over  Memphis,  looms  up  in  the  distance.  Leaving  the  riv- 
er, the  road  leads  through  fields  of  growing  grain.  The 
dark  green  color  and  rank  growth  tell  of  the  richness  of  the 
soil.  Here  and  there  the  valley  is  interspersed  with  small 
groves  of  stately  palms.  We  ride  beneath  them,  glad  for 
the  little  shade  they  afford.  A short  distance  from  the  riv- 
er we  are  met  by  a score  or  more  of  scantily-clothed  Arab 
children,  who  are  clamorous  for  backsheesh.  Then  we  en- 
ter and  ride  through  a village  composed  of  flat-roofed,  one- 
story  houses,  built  of  sun-dried  brick.  On  top  of  the  hous- 
es are  built  small,  round  towers  with  dome-shaped  roofs. 
Many  holes  are  cut  into  the  towers.  They  are  the  pigeon 
houses.  Our  dragoman  told  us  that  every  time  a man  took 
a new  wife  he  built  or  added  several  new  pigeon  towers  to 
his  house  in  honor  of  the  event.  In  some  places  the  pig- 
eon towers  are  the  largest  part  of  the  house,  and  they  give 
the  towns  of  Upper  Egypt  a peculiar  appearance. 

The  streets  of  the  village  or  town  are  narrow  and  wind- 
ing, and  many  of  them  end  abruptly  at  the  door  of  a house. 
On  either  side  of  the  streets  only  bare  mud  walls  are  ob- 
served. Windows  and  window-glass  are  not  often  seen. 
The  door  serves  as  an  opening  at  which  to  go  in  and  out, 
and  to  admit  light.  Chimneys  are  not  seen,  as  fires  are  sel- 
dom lighted  in  the  house.  The  climate  is  dry  and  warm, 
and  fire  is  not  needed.  Cooking  is  usually  done  outside  of 
the  houses.  As  rain  seldom  falls  here  the  sun-dried  brick 
last  for  centuries.  One  of  the  heavy,  dashing  rains,  lasting 
for  several  days,  which  we  often  have  at  home,  would  re- 


154 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


duce  one  of  the  Egyptian  towns  to  a mud  heap  in  a very 
short  time. 

Leaving  the  village  we  approach  the  line  of  the  desert, 
and  here  is  to  be  seen  a colossal  statue  of  Rameses  II,  the 
Pharaoh  who  oppressed  Israel.  It  is  made  of  fine,  hard 
limestone,  and  is  forty-two  feet  in  height.  Budge  says  it  is 
probably  one  of  the  statues  which  stood  in  front  of  the 
Temple  of  Ptah,  mentioned  by  Herodotus  and  Diodorus. 
It  bears  in  Egyptian  characters  the  name  of  Rameses  II, 
and  with  another  of  the  same  kind,  rece'ntly  discovered  a 
short  distance  away,  we  have  all  that  has  been  uncovered 
of  the  City  of  Memphis.  At  one  time  it  was  thirteen  miles 
in  circumference,  now  its  former  site  is  almost  wholly  cov- 
ered with  sand.  It  is  one  of  the  buried  cities  of  the  Bible. 

The  statue,  referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  and 
of  which  our  engraving  is  an  exact  reproduction,  must  have 
been  magnificent  before  it  was  broken  and  mutilated.  The 
features  are  finely  cut  and  the  face  is  Egyptian.  Originally 
the  statue  was  fifty  feet  high,  and  was  one  of  a pair  which 
stood  in  front  of  the  temple,  the  other  having  recently  been 
discovered  in  the  Nile  mud.  We  stood  some  time  looking 
at  this  defaced,  mutilated,  fallen  statue  of  the  greatest  of 
all  the  Pharaohs,  under  whose  reign  Israel  was  oppressed 
and  Moses  fled  away  from  Egypt,  “ choosing  rather  to  suf- 
fer affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the 
pleasures  of  sin  for  a season.”  How  appropriately  the 
words  of  Isaiah  apply  to  the  mighty  conqueror,  “They  that 
see  thee  shall  narrowly  look  upon  thee,  and  consider  thee, 
saying,  Is  this  the  man  that  made  the  earth  to  tremble,  that 
did  shake  kingdoms;  that  made  the  world  as  a wilderness, 
and  destroyed  the  cities  thereof;  that  opened  not  the  house 
of  his  prisoners?  All  the  kings  of  the  nations,  even  all  of 
them,  lie  in  glory,  every  one  in  his  own  house.  But  thou 


Statue  of  Rameses  II  at  the  Site  of  Ancient  I 


I / 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


157 


art  cast  out  of  thy  grave  like  an  abominable  branch,  and  as 
the  raiment  of  those  that  are  slain,  thrust  through  with  a 
sword,  that  go  down  to  the  stones  of  the  pit;  as  a carcase 
trodden  under  feet.”  Isa.  14:  16-19. 

We  ride  over  the  sand  that  partly  covers  the  site  of  an- 
cient Memphis,  passing  the  Arab  village  of  Mitrahenny  and 
going  on  to  Sakkara  where  the  dead  of  Noph  were  buried. 
On  the  way  men  and  boys  meet  us,  offering  for  sale  lamps, 
scarabs  (the  sacred  beetle  of  ancient  Egypt)  and  other  an- 
tiquities, some  taken  from  the  tombs,  others  manufactured 
at  Cairo.  One  held  up  the  mummified  hand  of  an  ancient 
Memphite,  offering  to  sell  it  for  two  shillings,  saying: 
“ Him  very  good  mummy  hand.” 

Reaching  the  tombs  we  look  about  us.  There  is  sand 
everywhere.  Before  us  is  the  great  desert  sand-waste,  part 
of  which  we  have  just  passed  over.  The  eddies  of  the  wind 
carry  the  yellow  and  white  sand  into  ridge-like  drifts,  as 
snow  is  drifted  on  our  western  prairies.  The  lifeless,  inter- 
minable desert  reflects  with  lurid  glare  the  cloudless  blue 
sky.  Everywhere  around  and  about  us  is  the  depth  of  si- 
lence and  desolation.  It  is  the  burial-place  of  a dead  na- 
tion, covered  with  the  drifting  sands  of  the  desert.  “ We 
were  standing  among  the  tombs  of  those  who  died  four 
thousand  years  ago.” 

And  this  sandy  waste  has  once  been  the  site  of  a popu- 
lous city,  the  capital  of  Egypt.  Here  Moses  lived  as  the 
son  of  Pharaoh’s  daughter.  Here  the  oppressor  of  Israel 
had  his  court,  and  here  he  reigned  sixty-seven  years.  Here 
six  hundred  years  before  Christ,  long  before  Alexandria 
was  founded,  the  city  of  Noph  flourished,  and  Jeremiah 
wrote  these  words  concerning  the  . great  city,  “Noph 
shall  be  waste  and  desolate.”  Could  a prophecy  be  more 
literallv  fulfilled?  Waste  and  desolation  are  written  all 


158 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

over  the  site  of  ancient  Memphis.  “ And  without  an  inhab- 
itant.” You  may  search  for  an  inhabitant  in  this  sandy 
waste,  but  you  will  find  none.  You  will  meet  the  descend- 
ants of  the  ancient  Egyptians  as  you  ride  across  the  desert, 
but  their  dwelling-place  is  at  Bedrachin,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Nile.  The  words  of  the  prophet  of  God  have  come  to 
pass  to  the  very  letter. 

The  tombs  of  the  wealthy  class  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians were  cut  in  the  living  rock.  Great  sums  of  money 
were  expended  in  this  way,  the  size  of  the  tomb  depending 
upon  the  wealth  and  importance  of  the  personage  for  whom 
it  was  made.  The  tombs  were  made  during  the  lifetime  of 
those  who  were  to  occupy  them  after  death.  Here,  not  in 
the  larger  chambers  of  the  tombs,  but  in  a secret  chamber, 
the  entrance  to  which  was  carefully  hid,  the  body,  after 
having  been  carefully  embalmed,  was  laid  away  to  rest. 
The  tombs  are  interesting  because  they  contain  the  name 
and  often  a sketch  of  the  life  of  the  owner.  The  walls  are 
painted  with  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  ancient  Egyptians, 
and  contain  many  hieroglyphics,  which  have  been  read  and 
translated,  so  that  we  can  read  them  and  know  about  the 
lives  and  history  of  these  remarkable  people. 

Singularly  enough,  as  it  may  seem,  the  largest  tombs  at 
Sakkara  are  known  as  the  Serapeum,  in  which,  after  they 
had  been  carefully  embalmed,  the  sacred  bulls  of  Apis  were 
buried.  “ Living,  these  animals  were  worshiped  in  a mag- 
nificent temple  in  Memphis;  dead,  they  were  buried  in  the 
vaults  at  Sakkara.”  We  go  down  into  these  rock-cut 
tombs  with  a trusty  guide,  and  candles  and  torches  to  light 
our  way.  It  is  a huge,  vaulted  tunnel,  divided  into  three 
parts,  one  of  which  is  twelve  hundred  feet  long,  and  anoth- 
er one-half  that  length.  From  either  side  of  the  tunnel 
chambers  are  made,  in  the  center  of  which  are  ponderous 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  159 

granite  coffins  thirteen  feet  long,  eight  feet  wide,  and 
twelve  feet  deep.  We  saw  twenty-four  of  these  huge  sar- 
cophagi, cut  from  a single  block  of  red  granite  and  very 
highly  polished.  A slab  of  the  same  material,  of  great 
weight,  was  placed  on  top  of  the  sarcophagus,  closing  it 
like  a lid.  The  Khedive  of  Egypt  was  anxious  to  remove 


Interior  of  one  of  the  Vaulted  Galleries  in  the  Serapeum 
at  Sakkara. 

one  of  the  granite  coffins  and  place  it  in  the  modern  muse- 
um at  Cairo.  His  men  succeeded  in  removing  it  from  its 
chamber  into  the  vaulted  passage,  but  could  take  it  no  fur- 
ther; the  inclined  plane  which  leads  to  the  mouth  of  the 
tunnel  was  an  insuperable  barrier.  And  yet  the  ancient 
Egyptians  transported  hundreds  of  these  huge  coffins  from 
Syene,  where  the  quarries  are  located,  a distance  of  six 
hundred  miles,  and  placed  them  in  these  chambers.  In 


i6o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


these  great  granite  coffins  the  bodies  of  the  sacred  animals 
were  placed  for  burial. 

We  grope  around  in  the  Egyptian  darkness  of  the  sub- 
terranean tunnels  and  chambers.  Our  torches  and  candles 
only  make  the  gloom  and  darkness  apparent.  Thousands 
of  great  bats,  disturbed  in  their  slumbers,  flit  about  our 
heads,  and  make  a peculiar  noise  like  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 
The  air  is  close  and  warm,  and  the  odor  emitted  by  the 
bats  is  almost  unendurable.  Our  dim  candles  and  torches 
cast  great,  indistinct  shadows  on  the  rocky  walls.  It  is  a 
strange,  weird  place  in  which  we  are  wandering.  Our 
guide  (he  is  called  a dragoman  here)  has  a quantity  of  mag- 
nesium wire,  which  burns  with  brilliancy  equal  to  the  elec- 
tric light.  By  burning  wire  in  the  chambers  we  are  enabled 
to  note  every  detail  of  the  interior  of  the  rooms,  and  the 
workmanship  of  the  sarcophagi.  On  the  walls  are  number- 
less inscriptions  with  dates  which  have  an  important  bear- 
ing on  the  chronology  of  Egyptian  history.  They  also 
touch  the  chronology  of  the  Bible.  After  what  seems  to 
us  a long  time  in  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  the  vaults,  we 
grope  our  way  to  the  entrance,  glad  to  breathe  the  fresh, 
pure  air  of  heaven  again. 

The  pomp  and  splendor  with  which  the  worship  of 
Apis  was  surrounded,  the  care  taken  of  his  dead  body,  and 
the  worship  of  the  .sacred  ox  at  Heliopolis,  only  a short 
distance  from  Memphis,  will  help  us  to  understand  more 
fully  the  cause  of  the  apostasy  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness. 
When  they  demanded  of  Aaron  that  he  should  make  them 
a god,  a molten  calf  was  made,  the  god  Apis,  and  when  it 
was  set  up  the  people  said:  “ These  be  thy  gods,  O Israel, 
which  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.”  Ex.  32: 
4.  They  had  seen  divine  honors  paid  to  the  calf  so  many 
times  in  Egypt,  even  by  Pharaoh  himself,  they  had  worked 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


161 

so  long  in  the  quarries  at  Syene  where  the  coffins  of  Apis 
were  made,  that  they  had  come  to  look  upon  the  animal  as 
sacred.  And  at  Sinai,  where  Moses  left  them  for  only  a 
few  days,  their  hearts  went  back  to  the  gods  of  Egypt  and 
they  “corrupted  themselves,  turning  aside  out  of  the  way 
which  the  Lord  commanded  them.” 

Here  is  a lesson  which  teaches  the  truth  of  another 
Scripture,  which  says:  “ Evil  communications  corrupt  good 
manners.”  Israel,  in  this  long  intercourse  with  the  people 
of  Egypt,  became  corrupted  with  idolatry,  of  which  they 
were  cured  only  after  centuries  of  hard  experience  and  se- 
vere punishment. 

At  Sakkara  we  also  visit  the  temple  of  Till,  in  which 
are  to  be  seen  some  of  the  best  preserved  frescoes  in 
Egypt.  The  pictures  in  bright  colors  give  us  an  insight 
into  the  home  life  and  the  customs  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians. It  is  remarkable  how  well  the  colors  have  been  pre- 
served. They  are  as  bright  as  when  they  were  spread  on 
the  walls  by  the  Egyptian  artists  thousands  of  years  ago. 

Around  about  Sakkara  are  eleven  small  pyramids. 
The  one  known  as  the  Step  Pyramid  is  the  most  interest- 
ing. It  consists  of  six  stages  or  steps,  ranging  in  height 
from  twenty-nine  to  thirty-eight  feet.  Each  of  the  steps  is 
six  and  a half  feet  wide.  The  perpendicular  height  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  feet. 

Some  authorities  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Step 
Pyramid  is  older  than  Cheops.  The  interior  contains  a 
number  of  passages  and  chambers.  Mariette,  after  a care- 
ful examination  of  the  chambers,  was  led  to  conclude  that 
this  pyramid  had  once  contained  the  tombs  of  Apis. 

On  our  return  to  the  steamer  we  secure  some  of  the 
antiquities  offered  for  sale  by  the  wayside  venders.  We 
have  a lamp  that  was  probably  used  four  thousand  years 


162 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ago,  with  several  stone-cut  scarabs  nearly  as  old,  which  we 
hope  to  bring  home  with  us. 

The  day  has  been  one  of  hard  work,  but  of  intense  in- 
terest. The  shades  of  evening  are  gathering  around  us  as 


The  Step  Pyramid  at  Sakkara. 


we  recross  the  site  of  ancient  Memphis.  Our  thoughts  are 
carried  back  to  the  time  when  Moses  and  Aaron  went  be- 
fore Pharaoh  and  demanded  that  he  should  let  Israel  go. 
“In  the  city,  now  buried  beneath  mouldering  heaps  and 
desert  sand,  the  faithful  and  fearless  leader  braved  the 
wrath  of  the  King;  for  he  endured,  as  seeing  Him  who  is 
invisible.  This  was  the  spot  where  Pharaoh  rose  up  in  the 
night,  he  and  all  his  servants,  and  all  the  Egyptians;  and 
there  was  a great  cry  in  Egypt;  for  there  was  not  a house 
where  there  was  not  one  dead!  Our  thoughts  pass  away 
from  the  palaces,  smitten  with  this  sudden  and  sore  be- 
reavement, to  the  homes  of  the  enslaved  race,  waiting  se- 
curely for  the  signal  to  depart,  whilst  through  faith  they 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


163 

‘kept  the  passover,  and  the  sprinkling  of  blood,  lest  He 
that  destroyed  the  first  born  should  touch  them.’  Great  as 
was  the  historical  importance  of  this  event,  seeing  that  it 
was  the  birth  of  a nation,  it  gains  yet  deeper  significance  in 
the  fact  that  it  was  a type  of  the  great  Antitype:  ‘ For  even 
Christ  our  passover  is  sacrificed  for  us.’  ”* 

We  are  again  on  our  way  southward.  The  sun,  in  full- 
orbed  glory,  has  sunk  behind  the  western  desert,  the  moon, 
nearly  full,  with  pale  light,  rises  in  the  heavens.  Evenings 
like  this  we  never  see  in  our  moist,  northern  climates.  The 
lines  of  Addison  have  a new  meaning  when  read  on  such  an 
evening  as  this: 

“ Soon  as  the  evening  shades  prevail, 

The  moon  takes  up  the  wondrous  tale. 

And,  nightly,  to  the  listening  earth, 

Repeats  the  story  of  her  birth; 

Whilst  all  the  stars  that  round  her  burn, 

And  all  the  planets  in  their  turn, 

Confirm  the  tidings  as  they  roll, 

And  spread  the  truth  from  pole  to  pole.” 

So  passed  our  first  day  on  the  Nile.  Can  it  ever  be 
forgotten? 

♦Manning,  "Land  of  the  Pharaohs.” 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Nile  Scenes. — Our  Pilot. — The  Natives  and  their  Villages. — Death 
and  Burial. — The  School  and  the  Schoobnaster. — The  Doom 
Palm. — The  Papyrus  Reed. — Fulfillment  of  Prophecy. 


ERE  we  to  write  the  record  of  each  day’s  experi- 
ence  and  impressions,  as  we  journey  up  and  down 
in  this  wonderland  of  the  Nile,  volumes  would  not 
contain  all  that  might  be  written.  Our  journey  up  the 
river  is  made  almost  entirely  by  daylight.  Owing  to  the 
shifting  channel  and  the  deposit  of  mud,  navigation  is 
rendered  somewhat  difficult,  and  the  Nile  pilots  prefer  to 
run  their  boats  by  the  light  of  the  sun.  At  the  bow  of  the 
boat  stands  an  Arab  with  a long  pole  in  his  hands.  Every 
few  minutes  he  thrusts  it  into  the  water  to  ascertain  its 
depth,  which  he  reports  to  the  pilot  by  calling  out  in  a loud 
voice.  Notwithstanding  all  this  precaution,  our  steamer 
was  run  on  hidden  mudbars  several  times,  and  had  to  be 
backed  off  and  a different  course  taken. 

South  of  Cairo,  until  Assuan  and  the  first  cataract  are 
reached,  the  Nile  flow's  through  an  ever  widening  and  nar- 
rowing valley  of  rich,  arable  land.  At  places  the  valley  is 
but  a few  yards  wide,  at  others  the  desert  stretches  out  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  and  the  valley  widens  to  a number 
of  miles.  The  banks  of  the  river  thus  present  a constantly 
changing,  a varying  landscape.  The  lights  and  shades  on 
the  Libyan  Mountains,  the  desert  sand,  and  the  green  val- 
ley, are  a study  for  an  artist.  Innumerable  groves  of  great, 

164 


Our  Pilot  on  the  Xile, 


s 


/ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  l6 7 

stately  palms  wave  their  plume-like  branches  in  the  air, 
giving  an  oriental  cast  to  the  scene.  On  either  shore  the 
narrow  valley  is  covered  with  growing  crops  of  maize, 
wheat,  lentils  and  beans;  even  to  the  very  water’s  edge. 

Then  there  are  the  villages  of  the  natives,  built  on  the 
edge  of  the  sandy  desert,  so  that  all  the  land  covered  by 
the  overflow  of  the  river  may  be  farmed.  We  went  into  a 
number  of  the  villages  and  found  them  entirely  devoid  of 
anything  like  cleanliness  or  comfort.  Vermin  of  all  kinds 
abound.  The  houses  are  mere  mud  huts,  and  are  without 
furniture.  One  can  scarcely  imagine  a condition  so  com- 
fortless as  that  of  the  fellah  of  Egypt,  as  the  laborer  is 
called.  His  lot  is  one  of  incessant  toil,  which  continues  as 
long  as  life  lasts.  “ He  dies  where  he  was  born,  after  pass- 
ing through  a life  of  intolerable  hardships,  and  is  buried  in 
the  sands  of  the  desert  not  far  from  his  humble  home.” 

At  Beni  Hassan  we  rode  across  the  plain  to  visit  the 
rock-cut  tombs.  On  the  way  we  passed  a house  in  which 
one  of  the  inmates  had  just  died.  Long  before  we  reached 
the  house  we  heard  the  cry  of  the  mourners,  and  the  sad 
sound  was  borne  to  our  ears  long  after  we  had  passed  the 
place.  Four  hours  later,  on  our  return,  the  body  had  been 
buried  in  a hastily-made  grave  in  the  sands  of  the  desert. 
Again  at  Assuan,  when  walking  through  the  streets  with 
our  dragoman,  we  came  to  a house  from  which  the  spirit  of 
the  owner  had  just  taken  its  flight  to  the  great  unknown 
world.  A score  or  more  of  men  were  moving  slowly  and 
with  dignity  about  the  street  in  front  of  the  house,  giving 
vent  to  their  feelings  of  sorrow  in  a sad,  mournful  cry. 
Occasionally  one  and  then  another  would  take  up  the  skirt 
of  his  outer  garment  and  rend  it,  thereby  manifesting  more 
strongly  the  depth  of  his  grief.  These  were  the  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  dead  man  who  had  come  to  mourn  over  his 


1 68 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


departure.  Among  them  was  a young  woman,  whose  voice 
was  heard  above  the  rest  as  she  cried  out  in  her  grief.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  the  dead  man,  and  presented  the  very 
picture  of  sorrow;  her  hair  was  unloosed,  her  head  and  face 
were  uncovered;  she  cried  out,  as  the  interpreter  told  us, 
“Oh  my  father!  my  father!  ! the  stay  and  support  of  my 
life;  my  father  is  dead;  my  father  is  dead.”  She  also  rent 
her  garments  in  the  abandon  of  her  grief.  We  continued 
our  walk,  but  the  voice  of  the  girl  whose  father  was  dead 
rang  in  our  ears.  The  whole  scene  recalled  the  Scripture, 
“because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and  the  mourners 
go  about  the  streets.” 

The  practice  of  rending  the  clothing  as  a sign  of  sor- 
row and  great  grief  is  as  common  in  the  East  to-day  as  it 
was  in  Bible  times.  When  Aaron’s  sons  fell  before  the  al- 
tar because  they  offered  strange  fire,  Moses  commanded 
Aaron  and  his  kinsmen  not  to  uncover  their  heads  nor  rend 
their  clothes.*  Van  Lennep  says,  however,  that  care  is 
taken  not  to  injure  the  garment  by  this  operation.  The  un- 
dertaker who  has  charge  of  every  detail  procures  the 
mourners  and  furnishes  the  robes  they  wear.  Before  the 
funeral  procession  starts  he  goes  to  each  mourner  and  care- 
fully rips  the  central  seam  of  his  kaftan  or  robe,  three  or 
four  inches  down  the  breast.')*  The  mourner  increases  the 
rent  thus  made  very  slightly,  and  afterward  it  is  carefully 
repaired,  to  be  rent  again  when  occasion  requires  its  use. 

In  Cairo  we  saw  a number  of  funeral  processions  of  the 
wealthy  people.  A large  number  of  mourners  were  in  at- 
tendance, the  number  depending  on  the  wealth  of  the  be- 
reaved family.  They  moved  slowly  through  the  streets, 
following  the  hearse  which  conveyed  the  dead  to  the  tomb, 


*Lev.  10 : 6. 

fVan  Lennep,  “Bible  Lands,”  page  587, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


169 


and  were  followed  by  the  relatives  and  friends  in  carriages. 
They  cried  out  in  mourning  and  made  much  show  of  sor- 
row. They  rent  their  garments,  but  in  a careful  manner,  so 
that  they  might  easily  be  repaired.  It  could  be  seen  that 
they  made  a business  of  mourning,  and  to  us  it  all  seemed 
like  an  empty,  hollow  mockery,  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  genuine  sorrow  and  real  grief  of  the  poor  girl  whom  we 
saw  and  heard  mourning  for  her  father  in  the  street  at 
Assuan. 

In  some  instances  the  mourners  take  off  their  outer 
garments  and  replace  them  with  coarse,  heavy  sackcloth, 
and  occasionally  throw  dust  and  ashes  on  their  heads  as  a 
sign  of  their  grief.  This,  too,  is  an  old  Bible  custom:  “And 
Jacob  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth  upon  his  loins, 
and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days.”  Gen.  37:  34.  When 
Job’s  friends  came  to  him  and  knew  him  not  when  they  saw 
him,  “they  lifted  up  their  voice,  and  wept;  and  they  rent 
every  one  his  mantle,  and  sprinkled  dust  upon  their  heads 
toward  heaven.”  Job  2:  12. 

Mr.  Lane  in  his  valuable  work  gives  the  following  very 
accurate  description  of  a modern  funeral  procession:  “The 
first  persons  in  the  procession  are  six  or  more  poor  men 
called  Yemeneeh,  mostly  blind,  who  proceed  two  and  two, 
or  three  and  three  together.  Walking  at  moderate  pace,  or 
rather  slowly,  they  chant  in  melancholy  tone  the  profession 
of  faith,  or  sometimes  other  words.  They  are  followed  by 
some  male  relations  and  friends  of  the  deceased,  and  in 
many  cases  by  two  or  more  persons  of  some  sect  of  the 
Dervishes,  having  the  flags  of  the  order.  Next  follow 
three  or  four  schoolboys  bearing  a copy  of  the  Koran  (the 
Mohammedan  Bible)  placed  upon  a kind  of  desk  formed 
of  palm-sticks,  and  covered  over  generally  with  an  embroid- 
ered kerchief.  These  boys  chant  in  a higher  and  livelier 


i 70  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

voice  than  the  Yemeneeh,  usually  some  words  of  a poem 
descriptive  of  the  events  of  the  last  day,  the  judgment,  etc., 
commencing, 

I assert  the  absolute  glory  of  Him  who  createth  whatever  hath  form, 
And  reduceth  his  servants  by  death: 

Who  bringeth  to  nought  all  His  creatures,  with  mankind; 

They  shall  all  lie  in  the  graves: 

The  absolute  glory  of  the  Lord  of  the  East, 

The  absolute  glory  of  the  Lord  of  the  West, 

The  absolute  glory  of  the  Illuminator  of  the  two  lights; 

The  sun,  to  wit,  and  the  moon; 

His  absolute  glory!  how  bountiful  is  he!’  ” 

The  schoolboys  immediately  precede  the  coffin,  which 
is  borne  head  foremost.  Three  or  four  friends  of  the  de- 
ceased usually  carry  it  for  a short  distance;  then  three  or 
four  other  friends,  who  are  in  like  manner  relieved.  Be- 
hind the  bier  walk  the  female  mourners;  sometimes  a group 
of  more  than  a dozen  or  twenty,  with  their  hair  disheveled, 
though  generally  concealed  by  a head  veil,  crying  and 
shrieking;  and  often  the  hired  mourners  accompany  them, 
celebrating  the  praises  of  the  deceased.  Among  the  wom- 
en the  relations  and  the  domestics  of  the  deceased  are  dis- 
tinguished by  a strip  of  linen,  or  cotton  stuff,  or  muslin, 
generally  blue,  bound  around  the  head  and  tied  in  a single 
knot  behind,  the  ends  hanging  down  a few  inches.  Each 
of  these  also  carries  a handkerchief,  usually  dyed  blue, 
which  she  sometimes  holds  over  her  shoulders,  and  at 
other  times  twirls  with  both  hands  over  her  head  or  before 
her  face.  The  cries  of  the  women,  the  lively  chanting  of 
the  youths  and  the  deep  tones  of  the  Yemeneeh  compose 
a strange  discord. 

I have  seen  mourning  women  of  the  lower  classes  fol- 
lowing a bier,  having  their  faces — which  were  bare — and 
their  head-coverings  and  bosoms  besmeared  with  mud. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


171 


The  funeral  procession  of  a man  of  wealth,  or  of  the 
middle  classes,  is  sometimes  preceded  by  three  or  four  or 
more  camels,  bearing  bread  and  water  to  give  to  the  poor 
at  the  tomb,  and  is  composed  of  a more  numerous  and  va- 
ried assemblage  of  persons.  In  this,  besides  the  persons 
already  mentioned,  the  led  horses  of  the  bearers,  if  men  of 
rank,  often  follow  the  bier;  and  a buffalo,  to  be  sacrificed 
at  the  tomb,  where  its  flesh  is  to  be  distributed  to  the  poor, 
closes  the  procession.* 

Among  the  poor  people  who  dwell  along  the  banks  of 
the  Nile  the  funeral  rites  are  very  simple.  As  soon  as 
death  comes  the  body  is  prepared  for  the  grave  with  much 
haste,  and  if  not  too  late  the  burial  takes  place  the  same 
day.  If  one  dies  before  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the 
body  is  never  kept  until  the  next  day.  It  is  carefully 
washed  and  wrapped  in  a winding  sheet;  cotton  is  placed  in 
the  mouth,  the  ears,  the  nostrils,  and  under  the  arms.  It  is 
then  placed  in  a coffin  and  raised  to  the  shoulders  of  four 
men,  who  carry  it  to  the  grave.  The  friends  and  relatives 
follow  on  foot,  making  up  the  funeral  procession.  The 
whole  multitude,  be  it  large  or  small,  “ lift  up  their  voices 
and  weep.”  We  often  saw  these  mourning  processions  in 
Egypt,  and  there  is  something  unutterably  sad  about  it  all. 

The  grave  is  dug  a few  feet  deep,  and  then  — at  the 
bottom  and  side — a niche  is  made  in  which  the  body  is 
placed  in  its  winding  sheet,  coffinless.  If  it  has  been  car- 
ried to  the  grave  in  a coffin,  the  body  is  taken  out  and 
placed  in  the  ground  as  before  described.  The  same  coffin 
is  used  to  convey  other  bodies  to  the  grave,  and  serves  the 
purpose  of  a hearse.  The  niche  keeps  the  earth  from  fall- 
ing on  the  body  when  the  grave  is  filled.  Small  stones  are 
placed  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  little  mound,  and  the 


♦Lane’s  “ Modern  Egyptians,”  II,  page  294. 


172 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


mourners  depart  from  the  tomb.  South  of  Wady  Haifa 
we  saw  many  graves,  the  tops  of  which  were  covered  with 
beautiful  agate  pebbles  which  abound  there  in  the  desert, 
and  which  have  been  beautifully  polished  by  the  sands  that 
have  blown  over  them. 

On  either  side  of  the  river  the  shaduf  and  the  sakkieh 
are  to  be  seen  in  great  numbers.  The  song  of  the  “fathers 
of  the  shaduf,”  as  they  lift  the  water  from  the  river  to  the 
fields,  is  constantly  borne  to  us  across  the  waters  of  the 
Nile.  Then,  too,  the  creaking  noise  of  the  water-wheels  is 
heard  day  and  night;  for  at  this  season  of  the  year  the 
growing  crops  must  have  water.  The  oxen  and  driver  are 
changed,  and  the  wheel  goes  on  with  its  creaking  noise.  It 
is  loud  enough  at  places  to  keep  us  awake  at  night,  and 
leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  oil  is  a stranger  to  the 
sakkieh. 

Another  method  of  lifting  water  from  the  Nile  is  occa- 
sionally seen.  Two  men  standing  by  the  side  of  the  river 
have  two  ropes  with  a water-tight  basket  fastened  in  the 
center.  Taking  the  opposite  ends  of  the  ropes  in  their 
hands  and  facing  each  other,  they  dip  the  basket  into  the 
water,  filling  it  and  then,  with  a swinging  motion  of  the 
ropes,  dextrously  throwing  the  water  into  the  reservoir  on 
the  banks.  This  method  is  resorted  to  only  where  the 
banks  of  the  stream  are  low;  it  is  much  more  laborious  than 
working  the  shaduf. 

Looking  over  the  fields  of  growing  wheat  we  notice  the 
farmers  sowing  dust  on  the  grain,  much  the  same  as  we 
used  to  sow  plaster  on  the  clover  fields  in  Maryland  thirty- 
five  years  ago.  It  is  thought  here  that  it  is  helpful  to  the 
crops.  When  we  visited  the  ruined  temples  in  Upper 
Egypt  and  Nubia,  we  found  men  and  women  busily  en- 
gaged in  digging  up  the  earth  about  the  temples.  They 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


173 


then  sifted  it  to  remove  the  broken  crockery  and  pieces  of 
stone.  After  completing  this  process,  the  dust  was  carried 
to  the  fields  in  sacks  and  baskets,  on  the  backs  of  donkeys 
and  camels,  and  scattered  over  the  growing  grain.  Those 
who  do  this  kind  of  work  are  literally  covered  with  dust, 
and  cannot  be  said  to  present  a cleanly  appearance. 

At  Kalabshi  one  of  the  ladies  of  our  party  gave  to  a 
group  of  Arab  women,  who  were  carrying  water  in  jars  on 
their  heads,  a short  talk  on  keeping  themselves  cleaner; 
she  told  them  they  ought  to  wash  their  gowns  oftener. 
The  women  listened  attentively  to  her  words,  through  the 
interpreter,  and  then  one  of  them  said,  “You  go  in  the 
fields  every  day,  spread  dust  on  the  grain,  carry  water-jar 
on  your  head  from  river,  hoe  in  ground,  pull  weeds,  work 
all  day,  you  not  so  clean  either;  you  clean,  you  no  work.” 
The  answer,  it  seemed  to  us,  fit  remarkably  well.  The  pic- 
ture of  the  fashionably-dressed  woman,  whose  jeweled 
hands  never  knew  toil,  brought  a smile  to  the  face  of  her 
friends,  and  the  Arab  women  went  on  their  way,  bearing 
their  burdens  and  laughing  as  they  went. 

One  of  the  very  common  scenes  along  the  Nile  is  that 
of  women  coming  down  to  the  banks  of  the  stream  with 
water-jars  on  their  heads.  Wading  into  the  river  the  face 
and  hands  of  the  water-carriers  are  washed,  then  the  jars 
are  washed  and  rinsed,  outside  and  inside,  and  filled 
with  water.  The  jars  hold  from  three  to  five  gallons  each. 
After  being  filled  they  are  lifted  to  the  top  of  the  heads  of 
the  women,  where  they  are  carefully  poised,  and  are  thus 
carried  to  the  village.  It  is  quite  a singular  sight  to  see  a 
group  of  women  and  girls  with  water-jars  poised  on  their 
heads.  The  artist  caught  such  a group  with  his  camera  at 
one  of  the  villages  along  the  Nile  and  we  give  it  to  our 
readers  on  page  175. 


174 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


In  all  the  villages  along  the  river  one  meets  the  village 
schoolmaster;  he  is  an  important  personage;  he  can  recite 
the  Koran  (the  Mohammedan  Bible)  from  memory,  and  this 
is  his  principal  qualification.  As  a rule  he  can  write  the 
Arabic  and  has  a limited  knowledge  of  figures,  but  as  arith- 
metic is  not  taught  in  the  village  school  this  knowledge  is 
considered  superfluous.  The  school-room  is  without  win- 
dows, the  door  admitting  the  light;  and  the  boys  sit  on  the 
earthen  floor.  The  teacher  sitting  in  front  of  them  repeats 
verses  of  the  Koran  and  each  boy  follows  him,  repeating 
the  words  which  are  meaningless  to  them.  Month  after 
month  they  keep  up  this  parrot-like  work,  and  when  they 
can  recite  the  principal  parts  of  the  book  from  memory 
their  education  is  finished  and  they  are  ready  to  graduate. 

Mr.  Lane  gives  the  following  illustration  of  the  igno- 
rance and  shrew'dness  of  the  native  school-teacher.  He 
says:  “ I was  lately  told  of  a man  who  could  neither  read 
nor  write,  succeeding  to  the  office  of  a schoolmaster  in  my 
neighborhood.  Being  able  to  recite  the  whole  of  the  Ko- 
ran, he  could  hear  the  boys  repeat  their  lessons;  to  write 
them,  he  employed  the  1 areef  ’ (or  head  boy  in  the  school), 
pretending  that  his  eyes  were  weak.  A few  days  after  he 
had  taken  this  upon  himself,  a poor  woman  brought  a let- 
ter for  him  to  read  to  her  from  her  son  who  had  gone  on  a 
pilgrimage;  the  fikee  pretended  to  read  it,  but  said  nothing, 
and  the  woman,  inferring  from  his  silence  that  the  letter 
contained  bad  news,  said  to  him,  ‘Shall  I shriek?  ’ he  an- 
swered, ‘Yes.’  ‘Shall  I tear  my  clothes?’  she  asked;  he 
replied,  ‘Yes.’  So  the  poor  woman  returned  to  her  home, 
and  with  her  household  performed  the  lamentations  and 
other  ceremonies  usual  on  the  occasion  of  death.  Not 
many  days  after  this  the  son  arrived,  and  she  asked  him 
what  he  could  mean  by  causing  a letter  to  be  written  stat- 


Egyptian  Women  with  Water  Jars. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


177 


ing  that  he  was  dead?  He  explained  the  contents  of  the 
letter,  and  she  went  to  the  schoolmaster  and  begged  him  to 
inform  her  why  he  told  her  to  shriek  and  tear  her  clothes, 
since  the  letter  was  to  tell  her  that  her  son  was  well  and  was 
coming  home.  Not  at  all  abashed,  he  said,  ‘ God  knows 
futurity;  how  could  I know  that  your  son  would  arrive  in 
safety?  It  was  better  that  you  should  think  him  dead  than 
to  be  led  to  expect  to  see  him  and  be  disappointed.’  Some 
persons  who  were  sitting  with  him  praised  his  wisdom,  ex- 
claiming, ‘ Truly  our  new  fikee  is  a man  of  unusual  judg- 
ment;’ and  for  a little  while  he  found  that  he  had  raised 
his  reputation  by  his  blunder.” 

Birds  along  the  river  are  very  plentiful  and  quite  tame. 
The  stork,  the  white  heron,  pelicans,  wild  geese,  ducks, 
hawks,  pigeons,  and  the  universal  English  sparrow  abound. 
Some  of  them  injure  the  crops.  The  boys  who  lead  the 
flocks  of  sheep  to  pasture  are  armed  with  slings,  and  part 
of  their  duty  is  to  drive  the  birds  from  the  grain  fields. 
They  acquire  great  dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  sling,  and 
can  bring  down  a bird  at  a long  distance.  It  reminded  us 
of  the  lad  who  tended  the  flocks  on  the  fields  of  Bethle- 
hem. He  doubtless  became  familiar  with  the  use  of  the 
sling,  just  as  these  Egyptian  lads  do.  At  least  he  had  a 
steady  aim  and  a strong  arm  when  he  felled  Goliath,  the 
champion  of  the  Philistines.  The  stork  and  the  white  her- 
on are  as  tame  as  the  domestic  fowls  at  home.  The  na- 
tives, as  a rule,  are  exceedingly  kind  to  birds  and  animals. 
The  Arabs  will  share  their  last  mouthful  with  their  horses, 
and  the  faithful  horse  often  finds  shelter  in  the  tent  of  his 
master.  It  is  much  to  the  credit  of  these  people  that  a so- 
ciety for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  animals  is  not  needed 
here,  and  to  the  discredit  of  our  people  that  such  a society 
finds  so  much  to  do  among  us. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


178 

The  palm  is  the  principal  tree  to  be  seen  on  the  Nile. 
Sycamores  and  acacias  are  seen  at  some  places,  but  the  palm 
is  the  tree  of  Egypt.  It  bears  an  abundant  crop  of  dates, 
which  are  highly  nutritious  and  form  an  important  part  of 
the  food  supply  of  the  inhabitants.  The  doom  palm  pro- 
duces a fruit  as  large  as  a medium-sized  orange,  but  irregu- 
lar in  shape,  of  a yellowish  color,  and  is  said  to  taste  like 
gingerbread.  The  fruit  of  the  doom  palm  was  often  placed 
in  the  tombs  with  the  dead.  In  the  museum  at  Cairo  we 
saw  some  which  had  been  taken  out  of  the  tomb  of  one  of 
the  Pharaohs  who  died  before  the  birth  of  Moses;  and  al- 
though they  were  about  thirty-five  hundred  years  old  they 
looked  very  much  like  the  specimen  we  bought  from  an 
Arab  at  Assiut. 

In  ancient  times  the  lotus  and  papyrus  reed  were  the 
most  common  plants  in  Egypt.  The  lotus  was  the  national 
flower,  and  it  may  be  seen  in  all  the  monuments  and  tem- 
ples. The  papyrus,  the  leaves  of  which  were  used  for 
writing,  also  abounded  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  It  was 
seen  all  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  especially  in  Lower 
Egypt.  Singularly  enough,  this  plant  has  entirely  disap- 
peared. It  is  said  that  a few  years  ago  a traveler  reported 
having  seen  a single  stalk  of  papyrus  in  the  delta,  but  this 
is  doubted.  The  closest  search  was  made  and  failed  to  re- 
veal a single  specimen  of  this  once  common  water  plant. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  paper  reed  or 
papyrus  was  made  the  subject  of  prophecy,  and  yet  it  is 
true.  Isaiah  says:  “ And  they  shall  turn  the  rivers  far 
away;  and  the  brooks  of  defence  shall  be  emptied  and 
dried  up:  the  reeds  and  flags  shall  wither.  The  paper  reeds 
by  the  brooks,  by  the  mouth  of  the  brooks,  and  everything 
sown  by  the  brooks,  shall  wither,  be  driven  away,  and  be 
” Isa.  19:  6,  7. 


no  more. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


179 


The  paper  reed,  the  reeds  and  the  flag  have  withered, 
have  been  driven  away,  and  are  no  more.  Thus  the  Word 
of  the  Lord,  spoken  by  the  prophet,  has  been  literally  ful- 
filled, and  the  paper  reed,  which  was  at  one  time  so  abun- 
dant here  and  was  so  important  to  the  inhabitants  of  an- 
cient Egypt  (for  all  their  books,  contracts,  deeds  and  other 
documents  were  written  on  the  leaves  of  this  plant),  has 
entirely  disappeared  from  the  country.  Singularly  enough, 
too,  the  only  place  where  it  is  found  in  the  East  is  in  the 
Land  of  Palestine.  Nine  years  ago  we  found  the  paper 
reed  growing  abundantly  north  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
Why,  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  should  the  papyrus 
become  extinct  in  Egypt,  its  home,  and  yet  continue  to 
grow  so  abundantly  and  luxuriantly  in  the  Holy  Land? 
Our  answer  to  the  question  is  found  in  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Temples  and  Tombs. — Beni  Hassan. — Immortality  of  the  Soul. — Em- 
balming.— Jacob  and  Joseph  Embalmed.  — An  Ancient  Funeral 
Procession. — Rock-cut  Tombs  at  Beni  Hassan. — The  Chamber  of  the 
Dead. — The  Tomb  of  Ameni. — A llusion  to  the  Famine. 


N our  way  up  the  Nile  we  stop  at  a number  of 
places  to  explore  and  inspect  ancient  temples  and 
tombs,  constructed  at  least  three  thousand  years 
ago.  The  temples,  which  tell  the  story  of  ancient  Egypt’s 
greatness,  are,  with  few  exceptions,  great  masses  of  ruins. 
A few  of  them,  having  been  covered  with  the  drifting  sand 
of  the  desert  and  but  recently  excavated,  are  still  in  a re- 
markable state  of  preservation.  The  tombs,  having  been 
cut  into  the  solid  rock  of  the  mountain  side,  remain  unto 
this  day,  except  as  they  have  been  defaced  by  human  hands 
and  robbed  of  mummies,  coffins  and  funerary  offerings. 

After  leaving  Memphis  we  pass  several  places  of  inter- 
est, which  will  be  referred  to  in  the  succeeding  chapter,  and 
stop  at  Beni  Ilassan.  Here  there  are  a number  of  very  in- 
teresting rock-cut  tombs.  In  order  to  understand  fully  the 
ancient  Egyptian’s  motive  in  spending  so  much  time  and 
money  on  his  burial-place,  it  will  be  necessary  to  know 
something  of  his  belief  as  to  the  future  of  the  body. 

Brief!}',  then,  although  shrouded  by  innumerable  super- 
stitions, the  ancient  Egyptian  believed  that  after  the  lapse 
of  many  thousand  years  the  soul  would  again  return  to  and 
inhabit  the  body.  When  it  is  known  that  they  believed 
that  the  soul  entered  successively  into  a phoenix,  a heron,  a 

j8o 


Ruins  of  an  Ancient  Temple  in  Egypt. 


182 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


swallow,  a snake,  a crocodile,  and  other  animals,  some  idea 
of  the  superstition  of  the  Egyptians  will  be  apparent.  But 
running  through  this  mass  of  absurdities  was  the  faint  light 
}f  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  After  all  its  wanderings 
and  struggles,  they  believed  it  would  live  in  the  body 
again. 

It  might  be  interesting  to  inquire  whence  the  ancient 
Egyptians  had  their  faint  knowledge  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  It  was  far  from  the  grand  light  and  immortality 
revealed  in  the  Gospel,  but  yet  there  was  in  it  a ray  of  light 
and  truth.  We  believe  it  came  to  them  from  God.  We 
know  that  he,  in  the  olden  time,  made  himself  known  to  the 
people  at  “sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners.”  We  can- 
not now  follow  this  thought  further. 

Believing,  then,  that  at  some  remote  period  the  soul 
would  live  again,  not  in  a new  body,  but  in  the  same  old 
body  it  dwelt  in  before  death,  the  chief  concern  of  the  an- 
cient Egyptian  was  to  preserve  the  body  after  death,  so 
that,  when  the  soul  returned,  it  would  find  the  body  ready 
for  its  reception.  Hence  the  art  of  embalming  the  body 
was  carried  to  such  a high  degree  of  perfection  that  even 
the  features  of  the  face  have  been  well  preserved  for  more 
than  three  thousand  years.  This  is  also  the  key  to  the 
motive  which  led  them  to  spend  so  much  time  and  money 
on  their  tombs.  The  Pharaohs,  the  priests,  and  the  wealthy 
spent  immense  sums  of  money  in  cutting  their  tombs  into 
the  living  rock  and  making  them  strong  and  secure.  In 
these  tombs,  not  in  the  large  chambers  or  halls,  but  in  a se- 
cret crypt,  the  existence  of  which  was  known  to  only  a few 
of  the  nearest  relatives  and  the  high  priest,  the  body  was 
hid  away.  With  it  were  placed  various  kinds  of  food,  rai- 
ment, and  articles  for  th-  toilet.  In  the  tomb,  or  rather 
with  the  body  of  the  Pharaoh  cf  the  oppression,  there  were 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


183 


found,  among  other  things,  several  hams  of  mutton,  some 
geese  (these  had  been  embalmed),  date  palms,  wheat, 
maize,  lentils,  beans,  wine,  oil,  clothing,  mirrors  and  other 
articles  for  the  toilet;  also  books  written  on  papyrus.  We 
had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  and  examining  these  articles, 
and  found  them  in  a remarkable  state  of  preservation.  The 
grain,  if  planted,  will  grow,  having  retained  the  germ  of  life 
for  all  these  centuries.  The  doom  palms  looked  very  much 
like  those  we  found  along  the  Nile  on  our  trip  southward. 
It  is  owing  to  this  custom  of  placing  so  many  articles  in 
the  tombs  with  the  dead  that  to-day  we  know  so  much 
about  the  habits,  customs,  modes  of  life,  etc.,  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians. 

As  before  stated,  the  art  of  embalming  grew  out  of  a 
belief  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  In  Bible  times  it  was 
the  universal  custom  to  embalm  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 
“And  Joseph  commanded  his  servants  the  physicians  to 
embalm  his  father:  and  the  physicians  embalmed  Israel. 
And  forty  days  were  fulfilled  for  him;  for  so  are  fulfilled 
the  days  of  those  which  are  embalmed:  and  the  Egyptians 
mourned  for  him  threescore  and  ten  days.”  Gen.  50:  2,  3. 
And  when  Joseph  died  years  afterwards  “they  embalmed 
him,  and  he  was  put  in  a coffin  in  Egypt.”  Gen.  50:  26. 

The  natural  conditions  in  Egypt  were  conducive  to  the 
preservation  of  the  body  after  death.  Without  rainfall  and 
with  a very  dry  atmosphere,  it  was  not  a difficult  matter  to 
arrest  decomposition,  and  the  bodies  became  dry  and  hard- 
ened lumps  of  clay.  Some  have  thought  that  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  body  through  so  many  centuries  did  not  agree 
with  the  Bible  statement,  “ Dust  thou  art  and  unto  dust 
thou  shalt  return;”  but  the  real  meaning  here  is  that  the 
body,  being  made  of  earth,  shall  return  to  the  earth  again, 
and  the  old  mummies  are  only  preserved  portions  of  the 


1 84  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

earth, — the  dust  simply  kept  in  the  form  which  was  given 
it  in  creation.  It  is,  however,  no  less  earth  than  if  it  were 
pulverized  and  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  way  the  Egyptians  embalmed 
their  dead  is  obtained  from  the  Greek  historians,  and  by  a 

careful  examination  of  the 
mummified  bodies.  Accord- 
ing to  Herodotus,  the  art  was 
carried  on  by  a professional 
body  of  men,  appointed  by 
law,  and  this  is  in  accordance 
with  the  Scripture  quoted, 
“ Joseph  commanded  his  serv- 
ants the  physicians  to  em- 
balm Jacob.”  There  were 
men  duly  appointed  to  attend  to  this  work. 

A body  might  be  embalmed  in  three  different  ways 
and  the  price  varied  accordingly.  In  the  first  and  most  ex- 
pensive method  used,  the  brain  and  viscera  were  entirely 
removed  from  the  body,  washed  in  palm  wine,  and  after  be- 
ing covered  with  powdered  aromatic  gums  were  placed  in 
jars  made  for  the  purpose,  a number  of  which  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  Egyptian  collection.  The  body  was  then  filled 
with  myrrh,  cassia  and  other  fragrant  and  astringent  sub- 
stances, and  was  laid  in  natron*  for  seventy  days.  Forty 
days  was  probably  the  time  actually  spent  in  the  work  of 
embalming  the  body,  but  seventy  days  were  required  to 
pass  before  the  burial  took  place.  Thus  we  have  both  forty 
and  seventy  days  in  the  Scripture  quoted.  After  this  the 
body  was  carefully  washed  and  wrapped  in  fine  linen,  cov- 
ered with  gum.  The  linen  used  was  made  in  strips  from 
three  to  four  inches  wide,  and  as  many  as  four  hundred 


Embalming.  From  the  Ancient 
Tombs. 


‘Native  carbonate  of  soda. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


!8S 


/ards  were  used  in  swathing  a single  body.  The  cost  of  em 
balming  a body  in  this  way  was  a talent  of  silver,  or  about 
one  thousand  and  two  hundred  dollars.  The  body  of  Israel 
was  doubtless  embalmed  after  this  manner. 

In  the  second  method,  which  cost  about  four  hundred 
dollars,  the  brain  was  not  removed  at  all,  and  the  body  was 
also  laid  in  salt  or  natron  and  wrapped  in  linen.  The  third 
method  was  employed  only  by  the  poor.  It  consisted  in 
injecting  some  strong  astringents  into  the  body,  and  then 
laying  it  in  salt  for  seventy  days.  The  cost  of  this  method 
was  very  small.  These  three  methods  were  usually  em- 
ployed, but  there  was  still  a fourth  method,  adopted  only 
by  the  very  poor,  which  was  to  fill  the  cavities  of  the  body 
with  bitumen,  and  soak  it  in  salt  and  hot  bitumen.  This 
process  destroyed  the  hair  and  features  and  left  the  skin 
like  paper  and  the  bones  white  and  brittle. 

After  the  embalming  process  was  fully  completed,  the 
body  was  placed  in  the  coffin,  which  was  usually  made  of 
sycamore  wood.  In  some  instances  two  or  three  coffins 
were  used,  fitting  into  each  other  like  a nest  of  boxes.  We 
examined  a number  of  the  sycamore  coffins,  all  of  which 
were  over  three  thousand  years  old,  and  they  are  in  a re- 
markable state  of  preservation.  The  inner  coffin  lid  usual- 
ly had  an  inscription,  giving  the  name,  rank  and  date  of 
birth  and  death  of  the  deceased.  The  outer  coffin  was  cov- 
ered with  a coat  of  plaster,  on  which  was  usually  painted  a 
figure,  representing  the  body  in  a reclining  posture. 

Members  of  the  royal  families  were,  after  being  em- 
balmed in  the  most  costly  manner,  placed  in  great  stone 
coffins  with  closely-fitting  lids,  made  of  the  same  material. 
Several  fine  specimens  of  this  kind  of  coffins  are  to  be  seen 
in  the  collection,  and  they  are  so  placed  that  they  can  be 
easily  examined.  One  of  these,  bearing  date  of  B . C.  3633. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


1 86 

has  part  of  the  inner  wooden  coffin;  it  held  the  body  of 
King  Mykerinos,  the  builder  of  the  third  pyramid.  Some 
of  the  pyramids  were  doubtless  built  as  tombs  for  the 
kings.  There  were  also  rock-hewn  and  vaulted  tombs  used. 
The  poor  were  buried  in  pits  and  caverns. 

Among  the  ancient  Egyptians,  according  to  Wilkinson, 
the  funeral  rites  of  the  wealthy  and  especially  of  a royal 
personage  were  attended  with  great  pomp.  At  the  death  of 
the  ruler  a general  mourning  which  lasted  seventy-two  days 
was  proclaimed  throughout  the  country.  The  people  tore 
their  garments,  all  the  temples  were  closed,  sacrifices  were 
forbidden,  and  no  festivals  were  celebrated  during  that  pe- 
riod. A procession  of  men  and  women  to  the  number  of 
two  or  three  hundred,  with  their  dresses  attached  below 
their  breast,  wandered  through  the  streets,  throwing  dust 
upon  their  heads;  and  twice  every  day  they  sang  the  funer- 
al dirge  in  honor  of  the  dead  monarch,  extolling  his  virtues 
and  praising  him  in  every  way.  A solemn  fast  was  also  ob- 
served; and  they  allowed  themselves  to  taste  neither  meat 
nor  wheaten  bread,  abstaining  also  from  wine  and  every 
kind  of  luxury;  nor  did  any  one  venture  to  use  baths  or 
ointments,  to  lie  in  soft  beds,  or  in  any  way  to  gratify  his 
appetites;  giving  himself  up  to  mourning  as  if  he  had  lost 
his  best  friend.* 

The  funeral  processions  of  an  Egyptian  grandee  were 
attended  with  much  pomp  and  ceremony.  Representations 
of  such  processions  are  to  be  seen  in  the  frescoes  on  the 
walls  of  the  ancient  tombs,  and  they  are  remarkably  well 
preserved.  First  came  a number  of  servants  carrying  ta- 
bles laden  with  fruit,  cakes,  flowers,  vases  of  ointment,  wine 
and  other  liquids,  with  three  young  geese  and  a calf  for  sac- 
rifice, chairs,  and  wooden  tablets,  napkins  and  other  things. 


*"  Ancient  Egyptians,”  page  443. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  iSj 

Then  others  bringing  the  small  closets  in  which  the  mum- 
my of  the  deceased  and  of  his  ancestors  had  been  kept, 
while  receiving  the  funeral  liturgies  previous  to  burial,  and 
which  sometimes  contained  the  images  of  the  gods.  They 
also  carried  daggers,  bows,  sandals,  and  fans;  each  man 
having  a kerchief  or  napkin  on  his  shoulder.  Next  came  a 
table  of  offerings,  couches,  easy  chairs,  boxes  and  a chari- 
ot; and  then  the  charioteer  with  a pair  of  horses  yoked  in 
another  car,  which  he  drove  as  he  followed  on  foot,  in  to- 
ken of  respect  to  his  late  master.  After  these  were  men 
carrying  gold  vases  on  a table,  with  other  offerings,  boxes, 
and  a large  case  upon  a sledge  borne  on  poles  by  four  men, 
superintended  by  two  officers  of  the  priestly  order;  then 
others  bearing  small  images  of  his  ancestors,  arms,  fans, 
the  scepters,  signets,  collars,  necklaces,  and  other  things 
appertaining  to  his  office.  To  these  succeeded  the  bearers 
of  the  sacred  boat,  while  others  carried  the  small  images  of 
blue  pottery,  representing  the  deceased  under  the  form  of 
Osiris,  and  the  bird  emblematic  of  the  soul.  Following 
these  were  seven  or  more  men  bearing  upon  staves  or 
wooden  yokes  cases  filled  with  flowers  and  bottles  for  liba- 
tion; and  then  seven  or  eight  women,  having  their  heads 
bound  with  fillets,  beating  their  breasts,  throwing  dust  upon 
their  heads,  and  uttering  doleful  lamentations  for  the  de- 
ceased, intermixed  with  praises  of  his  virtue. 

Next  came  the  hearse,  placed  in  the  consecrated  boat 
upon  a sledge,  drawn  by  four  oxen  and  seven  men,  under 
the  direction  of  a superintendent  who  regulated  the  march 
of  the  procession.  A high  functionary  of  the  priestly  or- 
der walked  close  to  the  boat,  in  which  the  chief  mourners, 
the  nearest  female  relatives  of  the  deceased,  stood  or  sat  at 
either  end  of  the  coffin;  and  sometimes  his  widow,  holding 
a child  in  her  arms,  united  her  lamentations  with  prayers 


1 88 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


for  her  tender  offspring,  who  added  its  tribute  of  sorrow  to 
that  of  its  afflicted  mother. 

The  sarcophagus  was  decked  with  flowers,  and  on  the 
sides  were  painted  alternately  the  emblems  of  stability  and 
security.  Behind  the  hearse  followed  the  male  relatives 
and  friends  of  the  deceased,  some  beating  their  breasts; 
others,  if  not  giving  the  same  tokens  of  grief,  at  least  show- 
ing their  sorrow  by  their  silence  and  solemn  step  as  they 
walked  leaning  on  their  long  sticks.  These  closed  the  pro- 
cession.* 

Such  was  the  funeral  procession  of  a royal  scribe  or  a 
member  of  the  priestly  order  in  ancient  Egypt.  Arriving 
at  the  tomb,  the  body  was  placed  in  the  chamber  which  the 
deceased  had  prepared  for  it  at  great  expense  during  his 
lifetime.  Cut  and  chiseled  in  the  living  rock  of  the  moun- 
tains, the  tombs  were  practically  indestructible. 

After  the  tombs  had  been  cut,  the  face  of  the  rocky 
walls,  ceilings  and  columns  was  made  as  smooth  as  possi- 
ble, and  then  covered  with  a thin  coating  of  plaster  which 
was  susceptible  of  a very  fine  polish.  On  the  walls,  thus 
prepared,  were  carved  and  painted  scenes  in  the  life  of  the 
occupant  of  the  tomb,  and  generally,  if  the  dead  were  of 
note,  a brief  sketch  of  his  life  was  inscribed  on  the  walls  or 
columns.  In  some  of  the  tombs  of  the  kings  a history  of 
the  wars  in  which  they  were  engaged  and  many  interesting 
incidents  in  their  lives  are  given.  Thus  the  tombs,  with 
the  written  history  on  their  walls  and  the  books  of  papyrus 
laid  in  them  with  the  dead,  became  libraries  and  are  of 
great  historical  value. 

At  Beni  Hassan  there  are  thirty-nine  rock  tombs  in  the 
face  of  the  mountain  side.  We  shall  describe  only  two  of 
the  most  important,  or,  rather,  we  will  combine  the  two  in 

♦Abridged  from  “The  Ancient  Egyptians,”  Wilkinson. 


WANDERINGS  IN  IIIBLE  LANDS. 


I89 

one  description.  On  approaching  the  cliff  in  which  the 
tombs  are  cut,  the  portico,  twenty-one  feet  square,  with  col- 
umns seventeen  feet  high,  supporting  beams  on  which  rests 
the  slightly-arched  ceiling,  presents  a striking  appearance. 
It  looks  very  much  as  if  it  had  been  built  as  the  entrance 
to  a large  building.  But,  on  going  into  it,  we  at  once  see 
■that  part  of  the  living  rock  of  the  mountain  side  has  been 
cut  away,  leaving  columns,  beams,  ceiling  and  walls  of  the 
natural  rock.  Each  of  the  columns  is  sixteen-sided,  finely 
proportioned  and  beautifully  designed.  From  the  inner 
side  of  the  portico  is  a door  opening  into  a long  gallery, 
which  descends  so  rapidly  that  we  walk  down  with  difficul- 
ty. At  the  lower  end  of  the  gallery  a door  opens  into  a 
large  chamber,  and  at  one  end  of  this  an  opening  was  made 
for  the  body  of  the  dead.  After  the  body  was  placed  in  it 
the  opening  was  walled  up  and  the  whole  plastered  over. 
The  walls  and  ceilings  of  the  gallery  are  covered  with 
paintings,  figures  in  bas-relief,  and  hieroglyphics.  Speaking 
of  these  tombs  and  the  paintings  and  sculpture  they  con- 
tain, Hoply  says:  “ In  these  vast  galleries  you  may  wander 
at  will  and  study  the  every-day  life  of  men  who  walked  the 
land  before  the  days  of  Joseph.  In  these  mansions  of  the 
dead  mimic  men  and  women  are  wrestling,  fishing,  plough- 
ing and  reaping,  trapping  birds,  giving  dinner  parties, 
being  flogged,  cutting  their  toe-nails,  treading  the  wine- 
press, dancing,  playing  the  harp,  weaving  linen,  playing  at 
catch  ball,  being  shaved  by  the  barber,  playing  at  draughts. 
Verily,  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun.  The  old,  old 
story  of  life  is  there,  told  as  in  a picture  book.  Though 
seen  through  a gap  of  four  thousand  years,  the  eye  mois- 
tens over  it  still.  Here  are  life’s  festive  scenes  and  revels, — 
the  wine-cup  and  the  garland;  and  here  its  scenes  of  sor- 
row,— mourners  are  weeping  over  their  dead.  Nothing  is 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


I90 

lacking.  And  so,  by  a mystic  touch  of  sympathy, — that 
touch  of  nature  which  links  man  to  man, — you  reach  out  a 
hand  across  the  ages,  and  feel  the  throbbings  of  a human- 
ity kindred  with  your  own.” 

One  of  the  tombs,  that  of  Ameni,  has  the  following  de- 
scription of  the  good  qualities  of  the  dead:  “ I have  never 
made  a child  to  grieve,  I have  never  robbed  the  widow,  I 
have  never  repulsed  the  laborer,  I have  never  shut  up  a 
herdsman,  I have  never  impressed  for  forced  labor  the  la- 
borers of  a man  who  only  employed  five  men;  there  was 
never  a person  miserable  in  my  time,  no  one  went  hungry 
during  my  rule,  for  if  there  were  years  of  scarcity,  I 
ploughed  up  all  the  arable  land  in  the  name  of  Meh  (dis- 
trict), up  to  its  very  frontiers  north  and  south.  By  this 
means  I made  the  people  live,  and  procured  for  them  pro- 
visions, so  that  there  was  not  a hungry  person  among  them. 
I gave  to  the  widow  the  same  amount  as  I gave  to  the  mar- 
ried woman,  and  I made  no  distinction  between  the  great 
and  the  little  in  all  that  I gave.  And,  behold,  when  the  in- 
undation was  great,  and  the  owners  of  the  land  became  rich 
thereby,  I laid  no  additional  tax  on  the  fields.” 

Here  it  will  be  seen  that  the  inscription  in  the  tomb  of 
Ameni  refers  to  years  of  scarcity  and  of  plenty,  thus  inci- 
dentally confirming  the  Bible  account  of  the  years  of  plenty 
and  the  years  of  famine.  In  one  of  these  tombs  is  a pic- 
ture which  is  believed  by  some  Bible  scholars  to  represent 
the  arrival  of  Jacob  and  his  family  in  Egypt.  We  examine 
it  closely.  The  king  is  seated  on  his  throne,  and  thirty- 
seven  persons  stand  before  him.  They  all  appear  distinc- 
tively Jewish.  There  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  the  features. 
It  has  been  stated  that  only  Jacob  and  his  sons  and  their 
wives  and  legitimate  descendants  were  presented  to  Phara- 
oh, and  that  these  numbered  thirty-seven.  The  view  that 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


I9I 


this  scene  represents  the  coming  of  Jacob  and  his  family  in- 
to Egypt  has  not  been  generally  accepted,  but  there  is  no 
doubt  that  it  represents  people  from  the  Land  of  Canaan. 

Mr.  Newberry,  whom  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting, 
and  who  gave  us  valuable  information,  is  at  work  in  the 
tombs  at  Beni  Hassan,  under  the  direction  of  the  Egyptian 
Exploration  Fund.  We  are  hoping  for  important  develop- 
ments under  his  skillful  management  of  the  work.  It  is 
carried  on  entirely  by  voluntary  contribution,  and  appeals 
strongly  to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  study  of  the  Bible 
and  the  evidences  of  its  truth  found  in  Egypt  to-day. 
Those  who  have  money  to  give  should  not  hesitate  to  place 
some  of  it  in  the  Egyptian  Exploration  Fund. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


An  Egyptian  Sugar  Factory. — Coptic  Convent— Tell  el  Amarna. — The 
Tablets,  Letters  from  Adonizedek  King  of  Jerusalem. — The  Hebrew 
Invasion  of  Palestine. — Wonderful  Testimony  of  the  Truth  of  the 
Bible. — Tell  el  Hesy  Tablets. 

N our  journey  up  the  Nile,  before  reaching  Beni  Has- 
san  and  its  rock-cut  tombs,  we  stop  for  a night  at 
Maghaghah,  where  there  is  located  a large  govern- 
ment sugar  factory.  We  were  invited  to  inspect  the 
work  of  sugar-making  and  found  in  the  factory  modern  ma- 
chinery for  crushing  the  cane  and  making  the  sugar.  The 
natives  who  work  in  the  factory  are  mostly  without  cloth- 
ing, except  a cloth  worn  about  the  loins.  The  amount  of 
filth  and  dirt  to  be  seen  about  the  place  entirely  destroyed 
our  desire  for  Egyptian  sugar. 

Still  farther  south  we  pass  a mountain  known  as  Gebel 
et-Tir,  or  the  “ Bird  Mountain.”  Immense  numbers  of 
birds  are  to  be  seen  here.  The  fertile  imagination  of  the 
Arabs  has  invented  the  following  tradition  about  Gebel  et- 
Tir:  All  the  birds  in  Egypt  assemble  here  once  each  year, 
and  when  departing  leave  behind  them  one  solitary  bird  to 
watch  until  their  return  the  next  year,  when  another  is  set 
to  watch  in  his  place. 

The  mountain  rises  about  seven  hundred  feet  above  the 
river  and  on  its  summit  stands  a Coptic  convent,  said  to 
have  been  built  by  St.  Helena  A.  D.  350.*  It  is  called  the 
“Convent  of  the  Pulley”  because  the  ascent  to  the  build- 


*“  Sozomen’s  Ecclesiastical  History,”  II,  2. 
192 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


193 


ing  is  made  by  means  of  a rope  and  pulley.  Curzon  visited 
the  place  and  examined  the  interior  of  the  convent  and 
church.  “The  church,”  he  says,  “is  partly  subterranean, 
being  built  in  the  recesses  of  an  ancient  stone  quarry;  the 
other  parts  are  plastered  over.  The  roof  is  flat  and  is 
formed  of  horizontal  beams  of  palm  trees,  upon  which  a 
terrace  of  reeds  and  earth  is  laid.  The  height  of  the  interi- 
or is  about  twenty-five  feet.  On  entering  the  door  we  had 
to  descend  a flight  of  narrow  steps,  which  led  into  a side 
aisle  about  ten  feet  wide,  which  is  divided  from  the  nave  by 
octagon  columns  of  great  thickness  supporting  the  walls. 
The  columns  w'ere  surmounted  by  heavy  square  plinths  al- 
most in  the  Egyptian  style.  I consider  this  church  to  be 
interesting  from  its  being  half  a catacomb,  or  cave,  and  one 
of  the  earliest  Christian  buildings  which  has  preserved  its 
originality.  It  is  found  upon  examination  that  the  building 
is  constructed  on  the  principle  of  a Latin  basilica,  as  the 
buildings  of  the  Empress  Helena  usually  were.”* 

About  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  south  of  Cairo 
are  the  celebrated  tombs  of  Tell  el  Amarna,  now  in  ruins. 
In  1887  a peasant  woman  of  Egypt  was  digging  among  the 
ruins  and  sifting  the  dust  to  sow  on  the  grain  fields,  when 
she  discovered  the  now  famous  Amarna  tablets.  To  the 
poor  peasant  woman  who  found  them  the  tablets  were  only 
small,  oblong  pieces  of  burned  clay,  flat  on  either  side  and 
covered  with  cuneiform  characters.  To  her  they  had  no 
more  value  than  a piece  of  broken  pottery;  to  the  scholar 
who  could  decipher  the  writing  they  were  of  incalculable 
value.  The  tablets  are  now’  in  the  Berlin  and  British  Muse- 
ums. Major  Conder  has  just  given  to  the  world  a transla- 
tion of  the  most  important  of  those  tablets  and  to  him  we 
are  indebted  for  our  information  on  this  subject. f 


♦Curzon,  " Monasteries  of  the  Levant,”  page  log. 
The  Tell  Amarna  Tablets,”  R.  E.  Conder. 


194 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  tablets  are  simply  a series  of  letters  written  to  the 
king  of  Egypt  and  some  of  his  high  officers  by  the  rulers 
of  the  Amorites,  the  Phoenicians  and  Philistines  dwelling  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  at  that  time  subject  to  the  king  of 
Egypt.  The  names  of  Japhia  king  of  Lachish,  and  Jabin 
king  of  Hazor  and  probably  Adonizedek  king  of  Jerusalem, 
mentioned  by  Joshua,*  occur  among  those  of  the  writers  of 
the  letters. 

The  tablets  are  made  of  clay  in  the  usual  form.  When 
the  clay  was  soft  the  writing  was  inscribed,  after  which  the 
tablets  were  burned,  thus  rendering  them  practically  inde- 
structible. Conder  says  the  clay  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  differs  and  gives  various  colors  and  surfaces  to  the 
tablets,  so  that  it  has  been  found  possible  by  the  clay  alone 
to  decide  with  some  certainty  the  derivation  of  a few  of  the 
tablets  when  the  name  of  the  writer  is  lost.  We  cannot  do 
better  than  give  a synopsis  of  what  Major  Conder  says  of 
this  valuable  discovery: 

In  these  tablets  we  have  become  possessed  of  a mass 
of  correspondence  dated  at  about  the  time  when,  according 
to  the  Bible,  the  Hebrew  invasion  under  Joshua  took  place 
and  which  in  bulk  is  equal  to  about  half  of  the  Pentateuch. 

The  language  of  the  letters  is  very  like  the  Aramaic  of 
the  Talmud,  and  more  nearly  resembles  the  Arabic  than 
the  Hebrew.  It  is  the  same  language,  in  an  archaic  condi- 
tion, which  is  now  spoken  by  the  peasantry  in  Palestine. 
The  recovery  of  some  one  hundred  and  thirty  towns  men- 
tioned in  the  letters  not  only  makes  the  topography  clear, 
but  enables  us  to  fix  approximately  the  historical  order  of 
the  letters.  It  settles  the  sites  of  several  important  places, 
such  as  Gath,  Makkedah,  Baal  Gad,  Enam,  Lachish,  etc., 
and  it  illustrates  the  Bible  geography.  The  personal 


♦Joshua  10:  3;  11:  1. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


195 


names  are  very  interesting,  being  Hebraic,  except  in  the 
case  of  Hittite  names  which  are  Mongolic.  Egyptian 
words  occur  wherever  reference  is  made  to  Egyptian  offi- 
cials. The  names  of  the  gods  are  those  found  in  the  Bible, 
including  Baal,  Baaloth,  Rimmon,  Shamash,  Nebo,  Dagon 
and  Addu.  The  civilization  of  the  times  is  abundantly 
shown,  and  various  kinds  of  cities  are  specified,  such  as 
“ capital  cities,”  “ provincial  cities,”  “ fortresses,”  towns,  vil- 
lages and  camps.  The  irrigation  of  gardens  is  also  noticed 
and  the  papyrus  grown  at  Gebel;  as  well  as  copper,  tin, 
gold,  silver,  agate,  money  (not,  of  course,  coins)  and  pre- 
cious objects  of  many  kinds;  mulberries,  olives,  corn,  ships 
and  chariots. 

But  the  most  interesting  letters  are  from  the  southern 
part  of  Palestine,  and  these  refer  with  great  clearness  to  the 
conquest  of  the  country  between  Mount  Seir  on  the  east, 
Ajalon.'Lachish,  Ascalon  and  Gezer  on  the  west,  and  Shi- 
loh and  Rimmon  on  the  north.  The  name  of  one  of  the 
kings  killed  by  Joshua,  Japhia,  Josh.  10:  3,  is  found  in  the 
south,  and  in  all  probability  that  of  Adonizedek  of  Jerusa- 
lem also;  and  in  the  north  the  name  of  the  king  of  Hazor  is 
probably  to  be  read  as  Jabin,  which  was  the  name  of  the 
king  of  Hazor  whom  Joshua  attacked  (Josh.  11:  1).  The 
Hebrews,  it  is  stated  in  the  letters,  came  from  the  desert, 
and  from  Mount  Seir. 

The  date  of  the  letters  is  exactly  that  which  is  to  be 
derived  from  the  Bible  (1  Kings  6:  1)  for  the  Hebrew  inva- 
sion, according  to  the  Hebrew  and  Vulgate  text;  the  Septu- 
agint  makes  it  forty  years  later.  The  letters  state  that  the 
Egyptian  troops  had  been  withdrawn  in  the  year  in  which 
the  Hebrews  came  from  the  desert. 

These  letters  are  the  most  important  historical  records 
ever  found  in  connection  with  the  Bible,  and  they  most  ful- 


ig6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ly  confirm  the  historical  statements  of  the  Book  of  Joshua, 
and  prove  the  antiquity  of  civilization  in  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine.* 

After  two  years  of  hard  labor  Conder  has  translated 
these  important  records  of  the  past  ages  and  now,  thanks 
to  his  painstaking  labor,  we  may  read  and  understand  them. 
They  are  interesting  reading,  but  when  to  their  general  in- 
terest is  added  the  fact  that  they  so  fully  confirm  the  Bible 
they  become  all  the  more  valuable.  The  letters  cover  the 
Hittite  invasion  of  Damascus,  the  Amorite  treachery,  the 
war  in  Phoenicia,  Northern  Palestine,  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
Southern  Palestine,  Joppa,  Makkedah,  Jerusalem,  Lachish 
and  other  places.  The  letters  from  Southern  Palestine  re- 
fer to  the  invasion  of  the  country  by  the  Hebrews. 

We  give  Conder’s  translation  of  several  interesting  and 
valuable 

LETTERS  FROM  JERUSALEM. 

“To  the  King  my  Lord  is  mourning  thus  this  Adonizc- 
dck  thy  servant.  At  the  feet  of  my  Lord,  of  the  King,  sev- 
en times  and  seven  times  I bow.  What  shall  I ask  of  the 
King  my  Lord?  They  have  prevailed,  they  have  (taken 
the  fortress  of  Jericho)  they  who  have  gathered  against  the 
King  of  Kings,  which  Adonizedek  has  explained  to  the 
King  his  Lord.  Behold,  as  to  me,  my  father  is  not  and  my 
army  is  not.  The  tribe  that  has  ground  me  in  this  place  is 
very  rebellious  to  the  King,  the  same  is  gathering  near  me 
for  the  house  of  my  father.  Why  has  the  tribe  sinned 
against  the  King  my  Lord?  Behold  O King  my  Lord 
arise!  I say  to  the  chief  men  of  the  King  my  Lord  ‘Why 
is  the  land  in  slavery  to  the  chief  of  the  Hebrews  and  the 
rulers  fear  the  end?  So  now  they  must  send  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  King  my  Lord.’  Behold  I say  that  the  land  of 


* " The  Tell  Amarna  Tablets,”  page  36. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


197 


the  King  my  Lord  is  ruined.  So  now  they  must  send  to 
the  King  my  Lord,  and  let  the  King  my  Lord  know  this; 
behold  the  King  my  Lord  has  placed  a garrison  to  stop  the 
way  ...  of  kings  . . . chiefs  of  the  garrison  . . . 
the  king  as  master  to  his  land  . . . as  to  his  land  she 
has  rebelled,  the  (lands)  of  the  King  my  Lord — the  whole 
of  it.  And  let  one  warn  the  King  as  to  his  land.  I 

myself  speak  pleading  with  the  King  my  Lord  and  (for 
once?)  let  the  King  my  Lord  behold  the  entreaties.  And 
the  wars  are  mighty  against  me,  and  am  not  I forced  to 
ask — to  ask  a letter  from  the  King  my  Lord?  And  let  an 
order  return  from  the  King  (my  Lord).  Whether  will  he 
not  order  chiefs  for  garrison?  And  let  him  be  kind,  and 
let  the  King  my  Lord  regard  the  entreaties.  This  tribe  be- 
hold O King  my  Lord  has  risen  up.  Lo  the  chief  men 
they  have  expelled.  I say  the  lands  of  the  King  my  Lord 
are  ruined.  Dost  not  thou  hear  this  same  of  me?  They 
have  destroyed  all  the  rulers.  There  is  no  ruler  now  O 
King  my  Lord.  Let  the  King  give  his  countenance  to  the 
chiefs;  and  whether  shall  the  chiefs  of  the  Egyptian  sol- 
diers remain  at  rest?  They  have  lingered  O King  my 
Lord.  The  lands  are  failing  to  the  King  my  Lord.  The 
Hebrew  chiefs  plunder  all  the  King’s  lands.  Since  the 
chiefs  of  the  Egyptian  soldiers  have  gone  away  quitting 
the  lands  this  year  0 King  my  Lord,  and  since  there  is  no 
chief  of  the  Egyptian  soldiers  there  is  ruin  to  the  lands  of 
the  King  my  Lord.  They  have  . . . O King  my  Lord, 

and  Ado7iizcdck  (is)  dust.  . . . messages  (are  asked?) 

of  the  King  my  Lord,  there  is  destruction  by  the  foe  of  the 
lands  of  the  King  my  Lord.” 

Another  letter  from  Adonizedek  tells  of  the  success  of 
the  Hebrews.  He  says:  “ The  King’s  land  rebels  to  the 
chiefs  of  the  Hebrews , and  now  against  this  capital  city 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


I98 

U-ru-sa-lim  (Jerusalem)  the  city  called  Beth  Baalatu  (Baa- 
lath)  a neighbor  of  the  city  of  the  King — has  rebelled,  to 
delay  the  chiefs  of  the  city  of  Kielti.  Let  the  King  hear  as 
to  Adonizedek  ; and  will  not  he  order  Egyptian  soldiers, 
and  shall  not  the  King’s  land  turn  to  the  King?  And  be- 
cause there  are  no  Egyptian  soldiers  the  King’s  land  has 
rebelled  to  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe  of  the  Hebrews 

The  strong  appeal  made  in  these  letters  to  the  king  of 
Egypt  seems  to  have  been  without  avail.  The  affairs  of 
Adonizedek  were  becoming  more  critical.  The  Hebrews 
had  already  subdued  part  of  the  land  and  the  fear  of  them 
fell  upon  the  kings.  And  here  let  us  compare  with  the  let- 
ters of  Adonizedek  the  following  language:  “ Now  it  came 
to  pass,  when  Adonizedek  king  of  Jerusalem  had  heard 
how  Joshua  had  taken  Ai,  and  had  utterly  destroyed  it;  as 
he  had  done  to  Jericho  and  her  king,  so  he  had  done  to  Ai 
and  her  king;  and  how  the  inhabitants  of  Gibeon  had  made 
peace  with  Israel,  and  were  among  them;  that  they  feared 
greatly,  because  Gibeon  was  a great  city,  as  one  of  the  roy- 
al cities,  and  because  it  was  greater  than  Ai,  and  all  the 
men  thereof  were  mighty.”  Josh.  10:  1,  2.  What  a won- 
derful testimony  is  found  on  these  old  tablets,  written  four- 
teen hundred  years  before  Christ,  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible! 

But  the  entreaties  of  Adonizedek  and  his  appeals  to 
the  king  of  Egypt  for  help  brought  no  aid,  and  again  he 
appealed  for  help  against  the  Hebrew  invaders.  After  the 
usual  salutation  he  says:  “ Lo!  the  King  my  Lord  has  estab- 
lished his  law  from  the  (rising?)  of  the  Sun  to  the  going 
down  of  the  Sun.  He  is  a flatterer  who  deceives  as  to  me. 
Lo!  am  not  I a ruler  myself,  a man  allied  to  the  King  my 
Lord?  Lo!  I myself  am  a good  chief  of  the  King,  and  I 
have  sent  tribute  to  the  King.  There  is  no  chief  to  join  me, 
and  my  friends  (or  army)  fail;  they  have  been  fighting  for 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


199 


the  King  mightily.  I remain  ...  in  this  Beth  Amilla 
[evidently  the  Beth  ham  Millo  of  the  Bible,  2 Sam.  5:  9.] 
. . . I am  giving  to  the  chief  of  the  servants.  Suuta  the 

King’s  chief  (resident)  takes  charge  from  before  me  of 
twenty-three  princesses.  Twenty  chiefs  who  remain  trusty 
I am  detaching.  Suuta  has  led  (them)  away  to  the  King 
my  Lord,  which  the  King  advises  to  his  country.  [It  would 
seem  from  the  sending  away  of  his  women  that  Adonizedek 
himself  was  preparing  to  flee,  by  the  advice,  it  would  seem, 
of  Egypt.]  . . . They  have  fought  against  me  as  far  as 

the  lands  of  Seir  as  far  as  the  city  Givti  (which  they  have 
wasted).  They  have  banded  together  against  all  the  chiefs 
of  the  governments,  and  they  have  fought  with  me.  Be- 
hold I,  the  chief  of  the  lords  (or  of  the  Amorites),  am 
breaking  to  pieces,  and  the  King  my  Lord  does  not  regard 
entreaties,  while  they  have  fought  against  me  (unceasing- 
ly?). Behold  array  0 mighty  King  a fleet  in  the  midst  of 
the  sea.  Thou  shalt  march  to  our  land.  . . . Thou 

shalt  march  against  the  chieftains  of  the  Hebrew.  . . . 

Since  there  are  no  Egyptian  soldiers  in  this  same  year  de- 
struction has  destroyed  the  people  of  all  the  lands  of  the 
King  my  Lord.  . . . To  the  scribe  of  the  King  my 

Lord,  (lo!)  Adonizedek  is  his  servant,  at  his  feet  (he 
bows).” 

Again  Adonizedek  poured  out  his  troubles  to  the  king 
of  Egypt,  but  to  no  purpose.  How  applicable  are  the 
words  of  the  prophet  to  him:  “ Lo,  thou  trustest  in  the  staff 
of  this  broken  reed,  on  Egypt;  whereon  if  a man  lean,  it 
will  go  into  his  hand,  and  pierce  it:  so  is  Pharaoh  king  of 
Egypt  to  all  that  trust  him.”  Isa.  36:  6. 

His  next  letter  names  a number  of  Bible  cities.  He 
says:  “Let  him  know  that  they  have  fought  all  the  lands 
that  have  been  at  peace  with  me;  and  let  me  warn  the  King 


200 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


as  to  his  land.  Lo!  the  land  of  the  city  of  Gezer , and  the 
land  of  the  city  of  Ascalon , and  the  land  of  the  city  of  ( La - 
chish?)  they  have  given  (or  settled)  for  themselves.  Corn 
and  oil  (or  fruit)  and  all  things,  this  race  has  altogether 
gathered.  And  let  me  warn  the  King  as  to  Egyptian  sol- 
diers. Will  not  he  order  Egyptian  soldiers  against  the  chiefs 
who  have  done  wrong  to  the  King  my  Lord?  Since  within 
this  year  the  Egyptian  soldiers  have  gone  away,  and  quit 
the  lands,  the  ruler  of  the  King  my  Lord — since  there  were 
no  Egyptian  soldiers — is  brought  to  nought.  Yea  and  the 
rulers  of  the  King.  . . . Behold  the  land  of  the  city  of 

Jerusalem.  They  are  gathering.  The  chief  says  he  will  at- 
tack me  to  besiege.  His  tribe  is  not  at  all  subject  to  me. 
The  tribes  are  armed  (or  arrayed).  They  are  not  subject 
to  me.  Lo!  my  desire  is  the  same  as  the  desire  of  Milcilu 
and  the  desire  of  the  sons  of  Labaya,  that  the  chiefs  of  the 
Hebrews  be  subject  to  the  King’s  land.  Lo!  the  King  my 
Lord  will  be  just  to  me,  because  the  chiefs  are  sorcerers. 
. . . Lo  he  is  strong,  (determined?)  and  (men)  have 
feared.  . . . The  tribe  is  pouring  out  . . . lands 
from  the  city  of  As(calou.)  . . . Up  to  the  house  of  my 
Lord  Pauru  the  King’s  chief  for  the  land  of  the  city  of  Je- 
rusalem my  foe  is  rebelling.  Up  to  the  chiefs  of  the  gar- 
rison this  chief  has  surged  up  ...  to  me  is  my  foe, 
who  rebels  against  me.  There  is  no  end  of  his  desires  . . 

this,  despatched  to  me  a chief,  of  the  King,  despatched  to 
this  thy  people.  (The  women?)  are  despatched  to  the 
King  my  Lord  (with)  men  who  have  been  upright.  Four 
messengers  . . . to  go  out.  The  chiefs  of  the  fort  (or 

camp)  are  closing  the  roads  of  the  pass  . . . there  is 
no  possibility  from  . . . the  tribe  who  have  caused  the 
destruction  of  the  city  of  Ajalon.  Let  this  be  known  to  the 
King  my  Lord.  Have  not  they  taken  word — the  people 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


201 


despatched.  (There  is)  a road  for  the  King,  though  it  is 
not  easy.  Lo!  the  King  my  Lord  has  established  his  law 
in  the  land  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  forever,  and  shall  not 
they  take  word  of  the  desertion  of  the  lands  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem?  To  the  scribe  of  the  King  my  Lord  this  lam- 
entation thus  (speaks)  Adonizedck  thy  servant — the  afflict- 
ed. Translate  the  messages  well  to  the  King  my  Lord. 
. . . (I  am)  afflicted,  greatly  am  I afflicted.  And  thou 

shalt  perform  the  desire  of  our  people  before  the  chiefs  of 
the  land  of  Cush.  Truly  is  not  there  slaughter  with  us?” 

After  this  letter  was  written  came  that  wonderful 
forced  march  when  Joshua  “came  unto  them  suddenly,  and 
went  up  from  Gilgal  all  night.”  Josh,  io:  9.  And  at  Gibe- 
on  the  great  battle  was  fought  which  practically  gave 
Joshua  possession  of  Southern  Palestine.  No  wonder 
Adonizedek  wrote  to  the  king  of  Egypt  that  “ men  feared 
the  Hebrews.”  Their  victorious  armies,  trained  by  long 
marching  on  the  desert  and  commanded  by  an  able  leader, 
brought  down  all  opposition.  The  five  kings  of  the  Amo- 
rites,  Adonizedek  among  them,  “ fled  and  hid  themselves  in 
a cave  at  Makkedah.”  And  here  a watch  was  set  upon 
them  until  the  slaughter  of  their  followers  had  ended. 
Another  letter  was  written  by  Adonizedek  to  the  king  of 
Egypt  and  Major  Conder  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  was  writ- 
ten in  the  cave  of  Makkedah  after  the  defeat  of  Ajalon.  It 
is  the  last  of  the  series  and  has  a peculiar  interest,  for  soon 
after  it  was  written  and  sent  by  a trusty  messenger,  Joshua 
commanded  the  cave  to  be  opened  and  the  five  kings  to  be 
brought  out.  “ And  they  did  so,  and  brought  forth  those 
five  kings  unto  him  out  of  the  cave,  the  king  of  Jerusalem, 
the  king  of  Hebron,  the  king  of  Jarmuth,  the  king  of  La- 

chish,  and  the,  king  of  Eglon And  afterward 

Joshua  smote  them,  and  slew  them.”  Josh.  10:  23,  26. 


202 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


War  was  terrible  in  those  times  and  there  was  no  play 
about  it.  In  the  light  of  these  events  the  last  letter  of 
Adonizedek  possesses  more  than  ordinary  interest. 

“And  lo  now!  the  city  of  Jerusalem  when  these  went 
away  from  the  land  (was)  faithful  to  the  King.  Lo!  the 
city  of  Gaza  has  remained  to  the  King.  Behold  the  land 
of  Harti  Cirmiel  (Carmel)  belonging  to  Takanu  and  the 
men  of  the  city  Givti,  they  have  bowed  down,  going  away 
from  the  land  quietly.  And  truly  we  do  so.  Behold  Laba- 
ya!  and  the  land  Salabimi  (Shaalabbin,  Josh.  19:  42,  near 
Ajalon)  are  inhabited  by  the  Hebrew  chiefs.  Milcilu  has 
sent  for  (tribute?)  and  the  fellows  (say)  ‘ Have  we  not 
indeed  dwelt  in  this  land?  ’ They  are  adjudging  all  that 
they  desire  to  the  men  of  the  city  of  Keilah.  And  truly 
we  are  leaving  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  The  chiefs  of  the 
garrison  have  left — without  an  order — through  the  wastings 
of  this  fellow  (Joshua)  whom  I fear.  These  march  to 
Addasi.  He  has  remained  in  his  land  (or  camp)  in  the 
city  of  Gaza.  . . . (women?)  ...  to  the  land  of 

Egypt.” 

It  seems  to  be  clear  from  the  letters  that,  after  sending 
away  his  women,  Adonizedek  hoped  in  the  event  of  the 
defeat  of  the  five  kings  to  escape  into  Egypt  by  way  of 
Gaza,  which  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Bible  as  having  been 
taken  by  Joshua.  It  was  in  Gaza  that  they  expected  to 
find  safety.  But  they  had  been  entrapped  in  the  cave  at 
Makkedah  and  came  out  only  to  meet  death. 

So  ends  this  remarkable  correspondence.  We  have 
given  but  a fragment  of  it,  but  enough  to  show  that  the 
translator  is  correct  when  he  says  “ that  these  letters  are 
the  most  important  historical  records  ever  found  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Bible.”  By  them  the  Book  of  Joshua  is  most 
wonderfully  confirmed,  as  well  as  the  entire  Bible  history 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


203 


of  the  Israelites.  The  letters  also  show  that  at  that  remote 
period  civilization  prevailed  in  Syria  and  Palestine,  and 
that  Joshua  did  not  meet  and  conquer  tribes  of  savages,  but 


civilized  men. 

The  discovery  of  the  Tell  Amarna  Tablets  has  led  to 
further  investigation  at  the  site  of  Lachish  in  Palestine 
The  place  is  known  as  Tell  cl  Hesy.  In  1892  Mr.  Bliss 
commenced  an  ex- 
cavation at  Lachish 
for  the  Palestine  Ex- 
ploration Fund  and 
carried  it  forward  with 
considerable  zeal  and 
energy.  H is  labors 

during  the  season 
brought  no  immediate 
results,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  was  about 
closing  his  work  in 
December,  the  rainy 
season  having  set  in, 
that  he  was  fortunate 

enough  to  find  a num-  Tell  el  Hesy  Tablet.  ( Front 


ber  of  tablets.  He 

was  overjoyed  at  his  good  luck.  The  tablets  are  now  being 
translated.  Enough  is  already  known  of  them  to  settle  the 
fact  that  they  are  of  great  importance.  It  is  believed  that 
some  of  them  are  answers  to  the  letters  written  to  Egypt 
which  are  preserved  to  the  world  in  the  Tell  Amarna 
Tablets.  Our  cuts  are  copies  from  “The  Tell  Amarna 
Tablets’  and  represent  the  front  and  reverse  sides  of  one 
of  the  tablets  recently  discovered  at  Lachish. 


204 


WANDERINGS  JN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Conder’s  translation  and  comments  on  this  tablet  are  as 
follows:  Is  it  not  sent  (as  a message)  to  the  great  chief 

of  the  house  of  our  fathers?  Lo!  truly  thou  knowest  that 
they  have  fortified  the  city  of  Atim.  And  O Zimridi  to 
the  feet  of  him  who  is  established  as  the  chieftain  behold 
humbly  I bow.  Supporter  of  cities  behold!  O Saviour  of 
the  people  I have  rent  (my  garments)  yea  . . entreaties 


for  defenders 


And  three  years  or 
four  the  foe  (or  dog) 
has  been  resting  who 
desires  my  country. 
Now  behold  they  have 
entered  the  land  to  lay 
waste.  The  city  of 
Sum  hi  (or  Sum'  a) 
which  we  inhabit  he  is 
surrounding:  he  has 
gathered  in  order  to 
besiege;  and  as  far  as 
this  are  going  thir- 
teen sections  of  our 
(tribe?).  Strong  (is 
he)  who  has  come 
down.  He  lays  waste. 


Tell  el  Hesy  Tablet.  (Bach.) 


He  has  gone  out  with  secret  feet I send  and 

they  have  (arrayed?)  the  land  of  the  race  of  my  foe: 
may  his  land  perish.’ 

“ It  will  be  seen  from  the  facsimile  of  the  tablet  that 
the  signs  are  irregularly  written,  and  many  of  them  much 
worn,  so  that  the  translation  is  difficult,  and  uncertain  in 
parts  of  the  text. 

“This  letter  comes  apparently  from  the  low  hills 
south-east  of  Lachish.  Atim  must  be  the  Etam  of  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


205 


south  of  Judah  (1  Chron.  4:  32),  which  I have  placed  at  the 
ruin  of  ’ Aitiin ; and  Samhi  (or  as  it  may  be  otherwise  ren- 
dered Satn’a)  is  the  large  ruin  of  Sam  ah,  on  the  higher 
hills,  which  is  five  miles  to  the  south  of  Etam.  The  letter 
is  of  great  interest.  The  marauders,  as  in  other  cases,  come 
from  the  Hebron  hills.  It  also  shows  us  that  the  com- 
munication by  tablets  in  cuneiform  script  was  not  only 
usual  in  writing  to  Egypt,  but  in  the  internal  correspond- 
ence of  the  country.  The  Phoenician  alphabet  had  not  as 
yet  come  into  use,  but  the  ruins  of  Palestine,  no  doubt,  still 
contain  other  tablets  of  this  age  or  of  earlier  times.  The 
letter,  though  not  as  important  in  some  ways  as  the  Moab- 
ite stone  and  Siloam  text,  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
discoveries  ever  made  in  Palestine.”* 

We  shall  await  with  much  anxiety  the  translation  of 
other  tablets  already  found.  Wonderful  as  these  recent 
discoveries  have  been  we  may  expect  others  fully  as  impor- 
tant. In  the  meantime  it  may  be  well  for  those  who  are 
giving  so  much  time  to  higher  criticism  to  look  well  to 
these  records  of  the  past.  One  of  Adonizedek’s  letters 
overthrows  a dozen  speculations  as  to  the  Book  of  Joshua, 
and  discoveries  yet  to  be  made  will,  under  God’s  hand,  en- 
tirely silence  the  teachers  who,  under  the  cloak  of  religion, 
are  doing  more  to  destroy  faith  in  God’s  Book  than  are  the 
outspoken  infidels. 

While  we  have  been  examining  the  tablets  our  boat  has 
been  stemming  the  current  of  the  Nile  and  we  are  ap- 
proaching the  City  of  Assiut,  the  most  important  place  in 
Upper  Egypt.  It  has  a population  of  thirty-one  thousand, 
six  hundred,  and  is  connected  with  Cairo  by  rail. 

The  landing-place  at  Assiut  is  a mile  from  the  city  and 
no  sooner  is  our  boat  tied  up  to  the  shore  than  donkey-  boys 

"Tell  Amarna  Tablets,”  pages  133,  134. 


206 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  itinerant  merchants  come  down  upon  us  with  a rush. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  passengers  to  go  ashore  on  account 
of  the  crowd,  until  Achmet  Matcour,  our  Nile  dragoman, 
with  heavy  whip  in  hand  clears  a passageway.  The 
donkey-boys  tell  the  good  qualities  of  their  little  animals  in 
a mixture  of  Arabic,  English,  German,  French  anc.  Italian 
wonderful  to  hear.  The  merchants  are  no  less  busy  and 
noisy  in  trying  to  sell  their  wares.  Here  is  a vender  of 
beautiful  ostrich  feathers  (for  now  we  are  really  in  Africa, 
the  home  of  the  ostrich),  offering  the  finest  white  plumes 
at  a price  less  than  half  what  the  poorest  sell  for  at  home. 
Yonder  is  a seller  of  canes  and  we  are  attracted  to  him,  for 
we  have  a weakness  in  that  direction,  and  a finely-polished 
ebony  walking-stick  changes  ownership. 

On  the  landing  platform  sits  a dignified  Moslem  with 
his  wares  spread  before  him.  His  green  turban  carefully 
folded  about  his  head  indicates  that  he  has  made  a pilgrim- 
age to  Mecca,  and  the  respect  shown  him  by  his  fellows 
tells  the  same  story.  His  stock  in  trade  consists  of  beads, 
scarabs,  agates  cut  and  polished,  old  lamps  and  other  an- 
tiquities. We  select  several  small  agates  from  his  stock 
and  ask  him  the  price;  he  replies  by  naming  a sum  at  least 
four  times  greater  than  their  real  value.  We  lay  them 
down  and  turn  away,  when  he  says:  “ How  much  you 
give?”  In  reply,  an  offer  is  made  for  them  above  their 
real  value.  It  is  amusing  to  see  this  follower  of  Mo- 
hammed assume  an  air  of  offended  dignity  as  he  refuses 
the  offer.  During  our  stay  at  Assiut  we  passed  and  re- 
passed the  merchant  a number  of  times,  but  no  reference 
was  made  to  the  agates.  On  the  following  day  just  as  our 
boat  was  pulling  away  from  the  shore,  a lad  came  alongside 
holding  the  selfsame  agates  in  his  hand  and  offered  them 


Money-Changer  at  Assiut. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  20 7 

to  us  at  our  own  price.  The  dignified  pilgrim  to  Mecca 
was  selling  his  goods  by  proxy. 

Selecting  a bright-looking  Arab  boy  who  speaks  Eng- 
lish fairly  well  we  walk  through  the  town  of  Assiut.  Our 
guide  is  well-informed  and  faithful  and  we  enjoy  an  inter- 
esting stroll  about  the  city.  We  visit  the  business 
streets  where  the  bazaars,  as  the  shops  and  stores  are 
called,  are  located.  While  these  are  not  equal  to  the  ba- 
zaars at  Cairo,  they  are  interesting.  The  place  is  noted  for 
the  beautiful  red  pottery  which  is  made  here  and  offered 
for  sale  on  every  hand.  Some  of  the  vases  are  really  hand- 
some and  are  patterned  after  the  forms  used  by  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  In  Egypt,  as  well  as  in  Palestine,  the  skins  of 
goats  are  used  for  holding  water  and  wine.  In  the  market- 
place here  kid  skins,  which  have  been  prepared  for  holding 
water  or  milk,  are  offered  for  sale.  They  are  also  used  as 
churns.  The  cream  is  put  into  them  and  then  the  skin 
bottle  is  shaken  until  butter  is  produced. 

The  camel  market,  held  in  a great  open  square  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  is  also  a place  of  interest  to  the 
traveler.  Entering  the  place  we  find  it  crowded,  and  the 
noise  made  by  the  buyers  and  sellers  and  the  growling  of 
the  camels  is  deafening.  How  business  can  be  transacted 
in  such  confusion  is  a mystery.  But  sales  are  made, 
money  paid,  and  the  noise  and  confusion  continue.  We 
learn  that  about  sixty  dollars  is  the  highest  price  paid  for 
the  very  best  camels.  The  price  ranges  from  this  to  as  low 
as  twenty  dollars  for  those  of  an  inferior  grade. 

West  of  the  city  about  three  miles,  in  the  limestone  of 
the  Libyan  Mountains,  are  a number  of  ancient  tombs.  A 
short  tide  on  a donkey  brings  us  to  the  foot  of  the  hills 
where  there  is  a modern  Arab  cemetery.  The  dark  open- 
ings of  the  tombs  and  caves  in  the  mountain  side  can  be 


208 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


seen  for  some  distance  before  we  reach  the  place.  At  the 
base  of  the  mountain  we  dismount  and  climb  up  to  the 
tombs.  Here  the  dead  of  Sant,  the  ancient  name  of  Assiut, 
were  laid  away  to  rest.  Here,  too,  were  the  tombs  of  the 
sacred  wolf,  for  one  of  the  gods  of  the  ancient  Egyptians 
was  the  wolf-headed  Anubis.  In  front  of  the  now  rifled 
tombs  may  be  seen  the  mummies  and  bones  of  various  an- 
imals. Pieces  of  mummy  cloth  also  strew  the  ground. 

From  the  top  of  the  mountain  a beautiful  view  is  ob- 
tained of  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Nile.  The  Arabian  and 
Libyan  hills  on  either  side  shut  out  the  desert  and  one  sees 
only  the  rich  fields  of  grain,  the  palm  gardens,  the  flow- 
ing river,  and  the  beautiful  town  of  Assiut  with  its  eleven 
minarets  pointing  heavenward.  On  the  return  to  the  city 
funeral  processions  are  met  bearing  the  dead  to  the 
cemetery.  One  is  reminded  of  the  processions  of  the  same 
kind  seen  so  often  in  Cairo.  These  however  produce  “a 
much  more  solemn  effect,  through  the  absence  of  the  bus- 
tle of  the  crowded  streets  and  the  presence  of  the  deserted 
city  of  the  dead.  Nowhere,  not  even  in  Cairo,  are  the  fu- 
neral songs  so  strange  and  weird  as  here,  or  sung  by  such 
deep  and  tuneful  voices.” 

At  Assiut,  and  indeed  at  every  landing-place  along 
the  Nile,  the  traveler  is  beset  by  dealers  in  scarabs  (small 
stone  images  of  the  sacred  beetle).  We  were  fortunate 
enough  to  see  a living  specimen  of  this  famous  black  beetle 
which  was  sacred  to  the  ancient  Egyptians  as  an  emblem  of 
the  creation  and  continual  life.  The  beetle  is  about  a 
half  inch  long  and  shiny  black.  In  the  soft  mud  of  the 
Nile  the  beetle  deposits  its  eggs  and  then  rolls  them  over 
and  over  until  they  assume  the  form  of  a ball,  which  is 
then  rolled  to  the  sand  of  the  desert  and  buried  there. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


209 


Miss  Edwards  has  given  such  an  admirable  description 
of  this  Egyptian  beetle  that  we  give  it  to  our  readers: 
“We  all  know  the  old  story  of  how  this  beetle  lays  its  eggs 
by  the  river’s  brink,  encloses  them  in  a ball  of  moist  clay, 
rolls  the  ball  to  a safe  place  on  the  edge  of  the  desert; 
buries  it  in  the  sand;  and  when  his  time  comes  dies  con- 
tent, having  provided  for  the  safety  of  his  successors. 
Hence  his  mythic  fame;  hence  all  the  quaint  symbolism 
that  by  degrees  attached  itself  to  his  little  person,  and 
ended  by  investing  him  with  a special  sacredness  which  has 
often  been  mistaken  for  actual  worship.  Standing  by  thus, 
watching  the  movements  of  the  creature,  its  untiring 
energy,  its  extraordinary  muscular  strength,  its  business- 
like devotion  to  the  matter  in  hand,  one  sees  how  subtle  a 
lesson  the  old  Egyptian  moralists  had  presented  to  them 
for  contemplation,  and  with  how  fine  a combination  of  wis- 
dom and  poetry  they  regarded  this  little  black  scarab  not 
only  as  an  emblem  of  creative  and  preserving  power,  but 
perhaps  also  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  As  a type,  no 
insect  has  ever  had  so  much  greatness  thrust  upon  him. 
He  became  a hieroglyph,  and  stood  for  a word  both  to  be 
and  to  transform.  His  portrait  was  multiplied  a million 
fold;  sculptured  over  the  portals  of  temples;  fitted  to  the 
shoulders  of  a god;  engraved  on  gems;  moulded  in  pottery; 
painted  on  sarcophagi  and  the  walls  of  tombs;  worn  by  the 
living  and  buried  with  the  dead. 

“Every  traveler  on  the  Nile  brings  away  a handful  of 
the  smaller  scarabs,  genuine  or  otherwise.  Some  may  not 
particularly  care  to  possess  them,  yet  none  can  help  buying 
them,  if  only  because  other  people  do  so,  or  to  get  rid  of 
a troublesome  dealer,  or  to  give  to  friends  at  home.  I 
doubt,  however,  if  even  the  most  enthusiastic  scarab- 
fanciers  really  feel  in  all  its  force  the  symbolism  attaching 


210 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


to  these  little  gems,  or  appreciate  the  exquisite  naturalness 
of  their  execution  until  they  have  seen  the  living  beetle  at 
work.”* 

Like  all  travelers  we  brought  away  with  us  a number 
of  scarabs,  some  formed  in  stone,  others  moulded  in 
pottery.  Some  large,  some  small,  some  ancient,  and  some 
modern,  for  the  wily  Arab  manufactures  stone  and  clay 
representations  of  the  sacred  beetle  and  sells  them  to  un- 
suspecting travelers  for  the  real,  ancient  scarab.  One  of 
undoubted  antiquity  was  given  to  a friend  and  brought  this 
response: 

“ It  was  once  the  sacred  token 
Of  eternity  unbroken 
And  divine. 

Some  long  vanished  priest  or  king, 

Lord  or  lady  owned  the  thing, 

Now  ’tis  mine.” 

* Edwards,  “ A Thousand  Miles  up  the  Nile,’'  pages  96, 97. 


Sand-Storm  in  the  Desert. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


A Simoon. — Abydos.  — List  of  the  Kings  of  Egypt.  — Thebes. — The 
Ruined  Temples  of  Luxor. — Shishak  and  his  Captives. — Rehoboam. 
— The  Colossi. — The  Valley  of  the  Dead. — The  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 

S 

EAVING  Assiut  we  continue  our  journey  southward 
on  the  River  of  Egypt.  Between  Assiut  and  Luxor 
ffrAW?-  we  have  an  experience  with  a sand-storm,  or  si- 
moon, as  they  are  called  on  the  desert.  The  wind  blows  a 
perfect  gale,  and  the  sand  of  the  desert  is  caught  and  car- 
ried in  great  swirls  across  the  plain.  The  finer  particles  fill 
the  air,  and  so  dense  do  they  become  that  the  sun  is  entire- 
ly obscured.  We  can  well  imagine  what  a storm  of  this 
kind  would  mean  to  travelers  on  the  desert.  Many  cara- 
vans, overtaken  by  these  terrible  simoons,  perish  by  the 
way,  and  the  bones  of  man  and  beast  whiten  the  desert 
route.  We  find  it  exceedingly  uncomfortable  in  the  middle 
of  the  river  on  our  Nile  steamer. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  river,  about  one  hundred  miles 
south  of  Assiut,  is  a landing-place  called  Belianeh;  and 
about  ten  miles  across  the  Nile  valley  from  this  place  are 
the  ruins  of  Abydos,  which  are  in  some  respects  the  best 
preserved  of  all  the  ruins  in  Egypt.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  wall  sculpture,  which  is  remarkably  well  preserved. 
In  many  of  the  ancient  temples  the  sculptures  have  been 
defaced.  Much  of  this  was  done  by  the  Mohammedans. 
Regarding  the  sculptured  figures  as  idols,  they  sought  to 
destroy  them  by  mutilating  the  faces.  Our  engraving 
shows  the  figure  of  one  of  the  Pharaohs  riding  in  a chariot 


Defaced  Wall  Sculpture. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  213 

with  drawn  sword  in  one  hand,  but  the  face  has  been  chis- 
eled away.  The  temples  at  Abydos  were  not  excavated  un- 
til A.  D.  1853;  hence  their  excellent  state  of  preservation. 

The  most  important  ruin  at  Abydos  is  the  Mcmnon- 
ium,  or  the  temple  of  Seti  I,  the  father  of  the  supposed  op- 
pressor of  the  Israelites,  Ramcses  II.  On  one  of  the  walls 
Rameses  II  “relates  all  that  he  has  done  for  the  honor  of 
his  father’s  memory,  how  he  erected  statues  of  him  at 
Thebes,  and  how  he  built  up  the  sacred  doors.  At  the  end 
he  gives  a sketch  of  his  childhood,  and  the  various  grades 
of  rank  and  dignity  which  he  held.”  In  this  temple  is  the 
now  famous  Abydos  Tablet,  which  gives  the  names  of 
seventy-six  kings  of  Egypt,  beginning  with  Menes  and  end- 
ing with  Seti  I.  The  name  of  each  ruler  in  hieroglyphics  is 
enclosed  with  lines.  The  names  of  the  kings  of  the  nine- 
teenth dynasty  are  here  given.  The  names  include  the  sup- 
posed Pharaohs  of  the  oppression  and  exodus,  Rameses  II 
and  Menephthah  I. 

The  temple  of  Rameses  II  at  Abydos  is  also  well  worth 
a visit.  It  is  well  preserved.  Here  was  found  the  second 
tablet  of  Abydos,  which  is  now  in  the  British  Museum. 
North  of  the  latter  temple  is  a Coptic  monastery  and 
church  which  we  visited.  We  are  shown  the  baptismal 
pool  where  baptism  is  still  administered  by  trine  immer- 
sion. The  monks  are  engaged  in  work  about  the  place  and 
we  are  impressed  with  the  thought  that  their  existence 
must  be  dull  and  dreary.  They  live  here  on  the  verge  of 
the  desert,  deny  themselves  all  the  comforts  of  life,  hoping 
thus  to  gain  the  favor  of  God.  To  us  such  a life  seems 
selfish  and  fruitless,  and  entirely  out  of  line  with  the  exam- 
ple and  teaching  of  our  divine  Master,  who  went  about, 
mingling  with  humanity  and  doing  good  wherever  lie  went. 


i78. 


% 
A 

180.  IV 


179 


CaaI  i-  GMEI 

Men-pehtet-Ra,  son  of  the  Sun,  Ra-messu. 

(Rameses  I.) 

( o^  ea~)  ¥ (ly^Ej 

Men-mat-Ra,  son  of  the  Sun,  Ptah-meri-en-Seti. 

(Setil.) 


dH  ¥ ( Mm 


A 


Usr-mat-Ra  setep-  son  of  the  Ra-messu-meri-Amen. 
en-Ra,  Sun,  (Raineses  II.) 


,Si- 1 QMS] ,8j-  M’M  G 


Suten  hemt  Auset-nefert.  Suten  mut- 

Royal  wife.  Royal  mother. 

“N 


Tui. 


183. 


G 


¥ 


3 


Ba-Ra-meri-en-  son  of  the  Ptah-meri-enhetep- 
Amen,  Sun,  her-mat. 

(Meneptah  I.’ 


-MCiS  ^ (JEM 


Men-ma-Ra  setep-  son  of  the  Amen-rneses-heq-Uast. 

en-Ra,  Sun,  (Amen-meses.) 


185. 


XU-en-Ra  setep-en-Ra,  son  of  the  Ptah-meri-en-se-Ptah 
Sun,  (Meneptah  II.) 


Usr-xau-Ra  setep-en-  son  of  the  Ra-meri  Amen-merer 
Ra  meri-Amen,  Sun,  Set-next, 

Cartouches  of  the  Pharaohs. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


215 


THEBES. 

South  of  Cairo  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  we  reach 
the  greatest  ruins  in  the  world.  These  are  the  remains  of 
Thebes  the  hundred-gated  city  of  ancient  Egypt,  grand 
and  magnificent  even  in  her  ruins.  In  the  cuneiform  in- 
scriptions and  in  the  Bible  it  is  called  No,  and  No-amon. 
“Art  thou  better  than  No-amon,  that  was  situate  among 
the  rivers,  that  had  the  waters  round  about  her;  whose  ram- 
part was  the  sea,  and  her  wall  was  of  the  sea?  Ethiopia 
and  Egypt  were  her  strength,  and  it  was  infinite;'  . . yet 

was  she  carried  away,  she  went  into  captivity.”*  At  Thebes 
the  god  Amon  was  worshiped,  and  it  was  upon  the  temples 
and  the  worship  of  this  god  that  a large  portion  of  the 
wealth  of  the  rulers  of  ancient  Egypt  was  bestowed.  The 
magnificent  and  gigantic  temple  erected  to  Amon  by  the 
Pharaohs,  although  now  in  ruins,  is  still  one  of  the  most 
interesting  sights  in  Egypt.  It  was  from  this  temple  and 
the  worship  of  Amon  that  the  Bible  name  of  the  city  was 
taken. 

When  or  by  whom  Thebes  was  founded  is  now  a mat- 
ter of  conjecture.  Its  early  history  has  been  lost.  The 
discovery  of  ancient  tombs  shows  that  the  city  must  have 
been  founded  as  early  as  the  time  of  Abraham.  For  cen- 
turies it  was  the  capital  city  of  the  Pharaohs,  who  ruled 
over  both  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt.  They  succeeded  in 
making  of  their  capital  the  most  magnificent  city  of  ancient 
times.  Homer  refers  to  it  in  these  lines: 

“Where,  in  Egyptian  Thebes  the  heaps  of  precious  ingots  gleam, 

The  hundred-gated  Thebes,  where  twice  tenscore  in  martial  style 
Of  valiant  men  with  steeds  and  cars  march  through  each  massy  gate.’’ 

Diodorus  visited  the  place  B.  C.  57  and  writes  of  it  as 
follows:  “Afterward  reigned  Busirus,  and  eight  of  his  pos- 


*Revised  Version,  Nahum  3:  8,  9. 


The  Great  Hall  at  Karnac  by  Moonlight. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


217 


terity  after  him;  the  last  of  which,  of  the  same  name  with 
the  first,  built  that  great  city  which  the  Egyptians  call  Di- 
ospolis,  the  Greeks  Thebes;  it  was  in  circuit  one  hundred 
and  forty  stadia  [about  twelve  miles],  adorned  with  stately 
public  buildings,  magnificent  temples,  and  rich  donations 
and  revenues  to  admiration;  and  he  built  all  the  private 
houses,  some  four,  some  five  stories  high.  And  to  sum  up 
all  in  a word,  made  it  not  only  the  most  beautiful  and  state- 
liest city  in  Egypt,  but  of  all  others  in  the  world.  The 
fame  therefore  of  the  riches  and  grandeur  of  this  city  was 
so  noised  abroad  in  every  place,  that  the  poet  Homer  takes 
notice  of  it.  . . . Although  there  are  some  that  say  it 

had  not  a hundred  gates;  but  there  are  many  large  porches 
to  the  temples,  whence  the  city  was  called  Hccatompyl us , a 
hundred  gates,  for  many  gates;  yet  that  it  was  certain  they 
had  in  it  twenty  thousand  chariots  of  war;  for  there  were  a 
hundred  stables  all  along  the  river  from  Memphis  to 
Thebes  towards  Lybia,  each  of  which  was  capable  to  hold 
two  hundred  horses,  the  marks  and  signs  of  which  are  vis- 
ible at  this  day.  And  we  have  it  related,  that  not  only  this 
king,  but  the  succeeding  princes  from  time  to  time,  made  it 
their  business  to  beautify  the  city;  for  that  there  was  no 
city  under  the  sun  so  adorned  with  so  many  stately  monu- 
ments of  gold,  silver  and  ivory,  and  multitudes  of  colossi 
and  obelisks,  cut  out  of  one  entire  stone.  For  there  were 
four  temples  built,  for  beauty  and  greatness  to  be  admired, 
the  most  ancient  of  which  was  in  circuit  about  two  miles, 
and  five  and  forty  cubits  high,  and  had  a wall  twenty-four 
feet  broad.  The  ornaments  of  this  temple  were  suitable  to 
its  magnificence,  both  for  cost  and  workmanship.  The  fab- 
ric hath  continued  to  our  time,  but  the  silver  and  gold,  and 
ornaments  of  ivory  and  precious  stones  were  carried  away 
by  the  Persians  when  Cambyses  burnt  the  temples  of 


218 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Egypt.  . . . These  they  say  are  the  wonderful  sepul- 

chres of  the  ancient  kings,  which  for  state  and  grandeur  far 
exceed  all  that  posterity  can  attain  unto  at  this  day.  The 
Egyptian  priests  say  that  in  their  sacred  registers  there  are 
forty-seven  of  these  sepulchres;  but  in  the  reign  of  Ptolemy 
Lagus  there  remained  only  seventeen,  many  of  which  were 
ruined  and  destroyed  when  I myself  came  into  those 
parts.”* 

Thebes,  in  the  days  of  her  greatest  glory,  stretched  a 
distance  of  thirty-three  miles  along  both  banks  of  the  Nile. 
The  valley  of  the  Nile  here  widens  out  so  that  the  arable 
land  is  twelve  miles  wide.  A volume  might  be  written,  de- 
scriptive of  the  grandeur  of  the  ruins  of  No.  It  is  to-day 
one  vast  field  of  ruins,  the  most  imposing  in  the  world. 
The  Coliseum  at  Rome  and  the  ruins  of  Baalbec  do  not 
compare  with  these.  They  are  the  most  stupendous  ruins 
of  the  mightiest  city  of  the  Ancient  World.  It  was  in  the 
height  of  its  glory  when  David  reigned  at  Jerusalem.  Lat- 
er Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  both  prophesied  against  the  city, 
and  their  words,  that  No  shall  be  “cut  off,”  “rent  asunder,’ 
have  been  literally  fulfilled,  and  Thebes  is  known  only  by 
her  ruins. 

“Viewed  from  the  river  the  site  of  ancient  Thebes  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  a wide,  mountain-girt  valley  or  ba- 
•sin  richly  endowed  with  the  gifts  of  never-failing  fertility. 
Nature  here  revels  in  perpetual  youth,  while  the  most  enor- 
mous edifices  ever  reared  by  mortal  hand,  though  grey,  des- 
olate, and  succumbing  to  the  common  fate  of  all  human 
handiwork,  yet  compel  the  admiration  of  posterity  for  the 
wonderful  race  that  has  left  such  mighty  memorials  of  its 
existence — memorials  that  have  indeed  been  injured  but 
not  annihilated  by  the  flight  of  thousands  of  years.  The 


*Diodorous,  Book  I,  Booth’s  Translation. 


A Portion  of  the  Temple  at  Karnac.  The  Leaning  Tower. 


220 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


verdant  crops  and  palms  which  everywhere  cheer  the  trav- 
eler as  soon  as  he  has  quitted  the  desert,  the  splendid  hues 
that  tinge  the  valley  every  morning  and  evening,  the  brill- 
iant, unclouded  sunshine  that  bathes  every  object  in  the 
winter  season,  and  the  inspiring  feeling  that  every  hour  is 
enriching  the  imagination  with  new  and  strange  pictures, 
wholly  prevents  in  Thebes  the  rise  of  that  melancholy  feel- 
ing which  so  often  steals  over  the  mind  in  the  presence  of 
the  relics  of  bygone  greatness  and  of  vanished  magnifi- 
cence.” * 

And  what  magnificent  ruins  are  here  to  be  seen! 
There  are  temples  and  tombs,  tombs  and  temples,  multi- 
plied over  and  over  again, — the  greatest  of  all,  the  temple 
of  Karnac!  It  was  nearly  two  miles  in  circumference.  It 
had  five  entrances,  each  of  which  was  approached  by  an 
avenue  of  two  hundred  sphinxes.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
wall  eighty  feet  high  and  twenty-five  feet  thick.  It  had  a 
magnificent  gateway  or  propylon,  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty feet  broad  and  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  high.  Pass- 
ing through  the  gateway,  we  enter  a vast  court  or  hall  of 
columns.  One  hundred  and  twenty  are  standing  in  the 
court,  each  sixty- six  feet  high  and  thirty-six  feet  in  circum- 
ference. They  are  all  surmounted  with  beautiful  capitals 
and  inscribed  with  hieroglyphics.  Here,  too,  is  seen  the 
largest  obelisk  known.  It  was  cut  from  the  granite  quar- 
ries at  Syene,  is  eight  feet  square  and  ninety-two  feet  high. 
But  space  forbids  us  to  continue.  We  might  write  and 
write,  and  still  not  complete  the  description. 

We  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  moonlight  on  our 
journey  up  the  Nile,  and  this  adds  much  to  the  interest  and 
pleasure  of  the  journey.  Our  first  view  of  the  ruins  of  Kar- 
nac is  at  nine  o’clock  at  night.  The  night  is  beautifully 


‘Baedeker,  "Ancient  Egypt,"  page  106. 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


221 

bright  and  clear,  such  a night  as  we  never  see  in  our  north- 
ern latitudes.  The  moon  is  shining  in  all  the  fullness  of 
her  glory.  We  wander  through  the  forest  of  columns  with 
our  dusky  Arab  guides.  The  gloomy  shadow  cast  by  wall 
and  column  is  only  partly  broken  by  the  moonlight.  It  is 
a wonderful  scene  and  makes  a deep  impression  upon  the 
mind.  See  our  engraving,  page  216. 

The  walls  of  the  temples  are  covered  with  sculpture  il- 
lustrating scenes  in  the  lives  of  the  Pharaohs.  Many  of 
them  are  full  of  interest,  but  none  more  so  than  the  one 
which  so  remarkably  confirms  the  following  Scripture: 
“ And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fifth  year  of  king  Rchoboam, 
that  Shishak  king  of  Egypt  came  up  against  Jerusalem: 
and  he  took  away  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  treasures  of  the  king’s  house;  he  even  took  away 
all:  and  he  took  away  all  the  shields  of  gold  which  Solo- 
mon had  made.”  I Kings  14:  25,  26. 

The  scene  on  the  wall,  of  which  we  give  an  engraving, 
represents  Shishak  king  of  Egypt  returning  from  his  vic- 
torious march  against  Jerusalem.  In  his  right  hand  he 
holds  a sword,  in  his  left  a number  of  cords  to  which  the 
prisoners  are  attached.  At  the  lower  left-hand  corner  of 
the  engraving  may  be  seen  the  outline  of  a number  of 
bearded  faces.  We  examined  these  on  the  wall  very  care- 
fully and  they  are  distinctly  Jewish.  Other  portions  of  the 
Scripture  give  an  account  of  the  expedition  and  the  num- 
ber and  names  of  the  kings  Shishak  subdued.  A portrait 
of  each  king  is  cut  on  the  wall  and  the  name  is  attached. 
Among  the  number  is  King  Rchoboam,  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion “King  of  Judah.”  The  figure  of  Rehoboam  has  the 
typical  Jewish  face,  and  we  have  here  not  only  a remark- 
able confirmation  of  the  Bible  record,  but,  in  all  probability, 
a fair  portrait  of  the  weak  son  of  the  wisest  king  of  Israel. 


222 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


We  have  had  but  a glimpse  at  the  wonderful  ruins  of  an- 
cient Thebes.  The  four  days  spent  among  her  ruined  tem- 
ples, her  prostrate  columns  and  her  magnificent  rock-cut 
tombs  have  been  exceedingly  interesting.  We  should  like 


Shishak  with  Jewish  Captives. 

to  linger  here  for  a month  and  wander  among  these  won- 
derful ruins,  but  we  must  curb  the  desire.  We  cannot  leave 
Thebes,  however,  without  saying  something  of  our  visit  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  Tombs  of  the  Kings.  They  are  not  less  wonderful,  in 
their  way,  than  the  ruins  of  the  old  temples.  Cut  into  the 
living  rock  of  the  everlasting  mountains,  they  have  en- 
dured, while  the  temples  have  fallen  into  ruin.  Some  of 
them  are  remarkably  well  preserved,  and  are  in  nearly  the 
same  condition  as  when  finished  by  Pharaoh’s  workmen 
more  than  thirty  centuries  ago. 

From  Luxor  we  cross  to  the  west  bank  of  the  river  in 
an  Arab  boat.  The  boat  strikes  the  ground  thirty  feet 
from  the  shore.  Our  method  of  landing  is  to  mount  on  the 
shoulders  of  a native,  who  safely  puts  our  feet  on  terra  fir- 
ma.  The  Elder  is  carried  ashore  first.  It  is  rather  an 
amusing  incident.  He  insists  that  the  writer,  with  his  two 
hundred  pounds  avoirdupois  on  the  shoulders  of  an  Arab, 
does  not  present  a very  dignified  appearance.  One  of  the 
Arabs  falls,  with  rather  unpleasant  results,  while  carrying 
an  English  lady  ashore.  We  mount  our  donkeys,  and  as  we 
ride  across  the  plain  we  are  beset  by  a number  of  bright- 
eyed, dusky  little  maidens,  from  eight  to  ten  years  old, 
each  with  a water  bottle  gracefully  poised  on  her  head. 
They  want  to  run  with  us  and  furnish  us  filtered  Nile  water 
on  our  journey.  For  this  service  they  expect  a piaster  or 
two,  and  the  money  is  well  earned.  They  follow  us  for 
hours,  bearing  the  bottles  on  their  heads,  and  only  putting 
their  hands  to  them  when  they  run  to  keep  up  with  the  gal- 
loping donkeys.  They  are  bright  and  intelligent,  and  have 
picked  up  a few  words  of  English. 

Our  way  leads  us  across  the  western  plains  of  Thebes, 
once  alive  with  the  population  of  a great  city,  now  a broad 
meadow  of  the  living  green  of  growing  crops.  It  is  won- 
derfully fertile  and,  as  far  as  the  Nile  waters  overflow  the 
land,  the  most  luxuriant  growth  is  to  be  seen.  It  forms  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  desert  line  of  sand  and  desola- 


224 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


tion.  We  ride  by  the  Colossi  of  Memnon,  two  immense 
seated  statues  fifty-two  feet  high,  which  have  kept  watch 
over  the  valley  of  the  Nile  for  thousands  of  years,  passing 
and  examining  the  temple  of  Rameses  II  with  its  prostrate, 
broken  statue  of  that  great  Pharaoh  who  knew  not  Joseph 
and  oppressed  Israel.  This  fallen,  broken  statue  was  per- 
haps one  of  the  finest  works  of  art  in  Egypt.  It  was  cut 
from  a block  of  red  granite  and  was  fifty-seven  and  a half 
feet  in  height,  and  when  finished  must  have  weighed  nearly 
nine  hundred  tons.  Fallen  and  broken  as  it  now  is,  it  still 
remains  one  of  the  wonders  of  Egyptian  workmanship,  and 
a memorial  of  the  great  vanity  of  the  Pharaoh  whose  image 
it  bore. 

Continuing  our  journey  we  reach  the  edge  of  the  fertile 
plain  and  then,  riding  a short  distance  across  the  desert,  en- 
ter the  Valley  of  the  Tombs, — “The  Valley  of  Death,”  it 
has  been  appropriately  named.  It  is  a savage,  barren 
gorge  between  two  mountains.  The  desolation  and  the 
deathlike  quiet  of  the  place  depress  the  feelings.  Not  a 
spear  of  grass,  not  a shrub  or  tree,  not  a drop  of  water,  not 
a living  thing  is  to  be  seen  in  this  solitary  valley,  the  en- 
trance to  the  tombs. 

The  tropical  sun  beats  down  on  our  heads  with  terrible 
power,  and  we  are  glad  for  once  to  seek  the  shelter  of  an 
overhanging  rock,  which  casts  a grateful  shade.  We  learn 
to  appreciate,  more  fully  than  ever  before,  the  meaning  of 
the  words,  “the  shadow  of  a great  rock  in  a weary  land.” 
We  find,  too,  the  advantage  of  having  the  little  water  girl, 
Fatima,  with  us.  The  porous  earthen  bottle  keeps  the  wa- 
ter quite  cool.  A handkerchief,  saturated  with  water  and 
placed  on  the  head,  gives  much  relief  as  we  ride  on  in  the 
glare  of  the  noonday  sun. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS 


225 


Finally  we  come  to  the  place  of  the  tombs,  the  very 
valley  of  death.  The  mountain  side  is  literally  honey- 


Entrance  to  the  Empty  Tomb  of  Seti  /,  Father 
of  the  Oppressor. 


combed  with  the  rocky  mansions  of  the  dead.  Here  the 
Pharaohs  of  ancient  Egypt  were  laid  away  “ in  glory,  every 
one  in  his  own  house.”  Isa.  14:  1 8. 


226 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


“Cased  in  cedar  and  shut  in  a sacred  gloom; 

Swathed  in  linen  and  precious  unguents  of  old; 

Painted  with  cinnabar,  and  rich  with  gold; 

Silent  they  rest,  in  solemn  salvatory; 

Sealed  from  the  moth  and  the  owl  and  the  flitter-mouse; 

Each  with  his  name  on  his  brow.” 

Here,  too,  queens  and  princes,  priests  and  nobles,  offi- 
cers and  men  of  wealth  were  laid  away  to  rest,  and  their 
tombs  were  equal  in  magnificence  and  splendor  to  those  of 
the  Pharaohs.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  tombs  of  the 
great  men  and  women  who  lived  more  than  three  thousand 
years  ago.  Great  as  they  were,  their  bodies  have  been  re- 
moved, and  many  of  them  are  now  on  exhibition  in  Cairo. 
Others  are  to  be  seen  in  the  museums  of  Europe  and  the 
United  States.  What  a commentary  on  human  greatness! 

Like  the  tombs  at  Beni  Hassan,  which  we  described  in 
a previous  letter,  the  tombs  of  the  kings  are  entered  by  a 
corridor,  a doorway  and  a long,  descending  gallery.  The 
walls  are  covered  with  hieroglyphics  and  sculpture,  depict- 
ing scenes  in  Egyptian  life.  The  extent  of  these  rocky  ex- 
cavations is  really  wonderful.  The  following  dimensions 
of  one  of  the  larger  tombs  are  given  by  Manning,  and  will 
give  an  idea  of  the  great  amount  of  labor  required  to  pre- 
pare it  for  its  royal  occupant.  It  is  eight  hundred  and 
sixty-two  feet  in  length,  without  reckoning  the  lateral 
chambers;  the  total  area  of  excavation  is  twenty-three  thou- 
sand, eight  hundred  and  nine  feet,  occupying  an  acre  and  a 
quarter  of  ground,  “an  immoderate  space  for  the  sepulchre 
of  one  individual,  even  allowing  that  the  members  of  his 
family  shared  a portion  of  its  extent.” 

The  walls  of  the  tombs  are  covered  with  paintings  and 
sculpture,  and  it  is  really  wonderful  how  well  they  have 
been  preserved.  They  give  a graphic  illustration  of  life 
among  the  ancient  Egyptians. 


Entrance  to  the  Kings’  Tombs  at  Thebes. 


' V 


I 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


229 


“We  saw  here,  as  in  a picture  story-book,  how  the  man 
had  cultivated  his  garden  and  fields,  had  garnered  his  har- 
vests, had  sent  merchandise  on  the  river  in  boats  sailing 
with  the  wind;  how  he  had  gone  to  battle  and  taken  com- 
mand of  armies;  the  gathering  in  of  his  vintage,  the  games 
and  shoutings  of  his  wine-pressers,  his  sports  in  fishing  and 
fowling.  Then  we  saw  him, — a picture  of  easy  joy, — in  the 
midst  of  the  family  circle.  We  saw  him  at  the  feast;  guests 
were  at  his  dwelling;  he  welcomed  them  to  the  merry  ban- 
quet; slaves  crowned  them  with  garlands  of  flowers;  the 
v ine-cup  passed  round.  Then  there  were  harpers  and  mu- 
sicians and  players  on  the  double  pipes.  Girls  in  long, 
wavy  hair  and  light,  clinging  garments  were  dancing.  But 
to  all  things  there  comes  an  end.  We  saw  here,  also,  the 
day  (how  far' back  in  the  depths  of  time!)  when  those 
pleasant  feasts  were  all  over, — the  lilies  dead,  the  music 
hushed,  the  last  of  this  man’s  harvest  stored,  the  last  trip 
enjoyed  by  boat  or  chariot.  The  fish  no  more  fear  him  in 
the  pools;  nor  the  fowl  among  the  reeds.  Here  he  was  ly- 
ing under  the  hand  of  the  embalmers.  And  next  we  saw 
him  in  mummy  form  on  the  bier,  in  the  consecrated  boat, 
which  was  to  carry  him  over  the  dark  river  and  land  him  at 
the  gates  of  the  heavenly  abode,  where  the  genii  of  the 
dead  and  Osiris  were  awaiting  him  to  try  his  deeds,  and 
pronounce  his  sentence  for  eternal  good  or  ill.”* 

Thus  we  may  read,  on  the  walls  of  the  tombs,  the  his- 
tory of  the  life  of  each  one  of  the  great  men  for  whom  they 
were  excavated.  And  these  faithful  representations  are 
what  make  the  tombs  so  interesting  and  so  valuable.  We 
have  space  for  only  one  more  illustration  from  the  walls  of 
the  tombs.  It  is  a scene  of  great  interest  to  the  student  of 
the  Bible.  Like  the  rest,  the  artist  drew  it  true  to  life.  It 


* ‘ Leisure  Hours." 


230 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


is  that  of  a band  of  slaves  engaged  in  brick-making.  The 
taskmaster  sits  by,  staff  or  whip  in  hand,  superintending 
the  work.  There  is  no  mistaking  the  faces  of  the  men  at 
work.  They  are  as  distinctly  Jewish  as  is  the  face  of  any 
Jew  clothing  merchant  to  be  seen  in  any  of  our  cities  to- 
day. They  dig  the  clay  with  hoes,  tramp  and  mix  it  with 
their  feet,  and  mould  the  bricks  with  their  hands.  No  one 
who  sees  this  painting  can  doubt  for  a moment  that  the  ar- 
tist depicted  the  Semitic  race.  It  is  said  the  Jews  never 
settled  so  far  up  the  river  as  Thebes.  This  is  quite  true, 
for  the  Bible  informs  us  that  they  settled  in  the  Land  of 
Goshen.  But  the  records  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression 
show  that  they  were  engaged  in  the  quarries  at  Syene,  near- 
ly one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  further  south.  Then,  too,  it 
was  not  necessary  that  the  Jews  should  have  settled  at 
Thebes  in  order  for  a representation  of  their  servitude  to  be 
placed  on  the  walls  of  the  tombs.  The  artist  knew  their 
faces.  He  represented  a band  of  them  at  work  making 
bricks.  He  doubtless  saw  this  at  Memphis,  and  depicted 
it  on  the  walls  at  Thebes.  It  is  an  exceedingly  interesting 
representation,  and  shows  how  the  Egyptian  taskmasters 
made  the  lives  of  the  people  “bitter  with  hard  bondage,  in 
mortar,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner  of  service  in  the 
field:  all  their  service,  wherein  they  made  them  serve,  was 
with  rigour.”  Ex.  i:  14. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  Pharaoh  of  the  Oppression.— Finding  his  Body. — The  Arab  Broth- 
ers.— Photographs  of  Seti  I and  Rameses  II. — Unwrapping  the 
Mummies. — Grave  Robbers. — Isaiah  and  Seti  I. — A Visit  to  Ah- 
med Abd  er- Rasul. 


'OW  well  we  remember  the  impression  made  upon 
our  youthful  mind  when,  in  our  earliest  schoolboy 
days,  we  read  the  simple  yet  beautiful  story  of 
Joseph  and  his  brethren.  We  remember  yet  how  the  tears 
would  flow  when  we  thought  of  the  poor  boy  tern  away 
from  his  home  and  sold  as  a slave  into  the  land  of  Egypt. 
We  remember,  too,  our  youthful  indignation  against  the 
Pharaoh  who  knew  not  Joseph,  and  who  so  grievously  op- 
pressed the  children  of  Israel.  But  in  our  most  extrava- 
gant childish  fancies  as  to  what  the  future  might  bring, 
we  never  even  dreamed  that  the  day  would  come  when  we 
should  stand  face  to  face  with  the  cruel  oppressor  of  Israel, 
who  said  to  his  servants:  “Come  on,  let  us  deal  wisely 
with  them;  lest  they  multiply,  and  it  come  to  pass,  that, 
when  there  falleth  out  any  war,  they  join  also  unto  our 
enemies,  and  fight  against  us,  and  so  get  them  up  out  of 
the  land.”  Ex.  I : io.  Strange  indeed,  passing  strange, 
that,  after  thirty-three  hundred  years  have  been  silently 
told,  the  body  of  this  Pharaoh  should  have  been  found  with 
the  features  of  his  face  so  well  preserved  that  the  likeness 
between  it  and  the  statues  of  the  king  erected  during  his 
lifetime  is  most  striking. 

231 


232 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Pharaoh  is  the  tide  by  vhich  a long  line  of  the  reign- 
ing sovereigns  of  Egypt  was  known.  It  was  a title  and 
not  a personal  name.  As  the  rulers  of  Russia  all  bear  the 
title  of  czar,  and  those  of  Germany  that  of  emperor,  so  all 
the  kings  of  Egypt  bore  the  general  name  of  Pharaoh;  but 
each  had  a personal  name  by  which  he  is  known  in  history. 
It  is  only  in  the  later  books  of  the  Bible  that  the  personal 
names  of  the  Pharaohs  are  given.*  This  and  the  following 
chapter  have  to  do  especially  with  two  of  the  Pharaohs,  the 
oppressor  of  Israel  and  the  one  who  ruled  when  the  Lord 
led  his  people  out  of  bondage.  They  have  been  desig- 
nated as  the  Pharaohs  of  the  Bondage  and  the  Exodus. 

A change  of  rulers  is  recorded  in  Exodus  between  the 
first  and  third  chapters:  “Now  there  arose  up  a new  king 
over  Egypt,  which  knew  not  Joseph.”  Ex.  i:  8.  Then  fol- 
lows an  account  of  the  oppression  of  the  Israelites,  the  de- 
cree for  the  killing  of  the  male  children,  the  birth  of  Moses, 
the  interesting  events  connected  with  his  early  life  and  his 
flight  to  the  land  of  Midian.  These  important  events  are 
merely  touched  upon,  and  then  we  have  the  following 
statement:  “And  it  came  to  pass  in  process  of  time,  that 
the  king  of  Egypt  died:  and  the  children  of  Israel  sighed 
by  reason  of  the  bondage,  and  they  cried,  and  their  cry 
came  up  unto  God  by  reason  of  the  bondage.”  Ex.  2:  23. 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  the  Pharaoh  who  knew  not  Joseph 
had  been  gathered  to  the  tomb  of  his  fathers.  This  king 
is  commonly  admitted  to  have  been  the  Pharaoh  of  the 
bondage.  In  the  third  chapter  we  have  an  account  of  the 
calling  of  Moses.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  “ Come 
now  therefore,  and  I will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh,  that  thou 
mayest  bring  forth  my  people  the  children  of  Israel  out  of 
Egypt.”  Ex.  3:  10.  From  this  it  is  equally  clear  that  an- 


* 1 Kings  14:  2'-,\  2 Kings  23:  29. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


233 


other  Pharaoh  reigned  instead  of  the  one  of  the  oppres- 
sion, and  this  one  is  believed  to  have  been  the  king  who 
ruled  when  Moses  led  the  Israelites  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

We  give  one  ef  the  many  portraits  of  Rameses  II,  the 
Pharaoh  of  the  oppression.  Of  him  Rawlinso..  says:  “ He 
seems  to  have  been 
the  handsomest  of 
all  the  kings  of 
Egypt.  A good 
forehead,  a large, 
well-formed,  slightly 
aquiline  nose,  a well- 
shaped mouth  with 
lips  not  too  full,  and 
a thoughtful,  pen- 
sive eye,  constitute 
a face  which,  if  not 
faultless,  is  at  any 
rate  vastly  superior 
to  the  ordinary  royal 
type  in  Egypt,  and 
would  attract  atten- 
tion among  any  se- 
ries of  kings.”  He 
was  a man  of  great 
physical  strength 
and  animal  courage.  „ ^ „ ,,  . ,,  , . 

0 Head  of  Rameses  II  in  Young  Manhood. 

He  was  ambitious 

and  sought  to  leave  a great  name  behind  him.  The  numer- 
ous statues  of  the  king  bear  testimony  to  this  facd  His  fa- 
ther, Seti  I,  the  mild  king,  under  whose  gentle  reign  the 
Israelites  prospered  and  multiplied,  died  and  was  em- 


234 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


balmed  and  entombed.  Then  followed  the  long  reign  of 
his  son,  "the  great  Pharaoh,”  whose  reign  continued  sixty- 
seven  years.  He  ruled  Egypt  with  a rod  of  iron.  He  op- 
pressed the  Hebrew  slaves  until  their  groans  and  cries 
reached  heaven.  But  “in  process  of  time”  he  died  and 
was  gathered  to  the  tombs  of  his  fathers. 

Many  years  ago,  in  the  search  for  the  records  of  the 
past,  the  tombs  of  Seti  I,  Rameses  II  and  Menephthah 
were  discovered  in  the  valley  of  the  tombs  of  the  kings  at 
Thebes.  But  the  bodies  had  disappeared,  and  no  trace  of 
them  was  to  be  found.  The  tombs  had  been  entered  and 
everything  movable  had  been  taken  out.  What  had  be- 
come of  the  embalmed  bodies  of  the  Pharaohs?  Who 
could  tell?  Was  the  history,  after  all,  a tradition,  and  the 
Bible  account  a myth,  as  some  unbelievers  stoutly  af- 
firmed? We  shall  see. 

The  question  remained  unsolved,  to  all  but  four  men, 
until  in  July,  1 88 1 , when  the  hiding-place  was  found  and 
the  bodies  taken  out.  The  history  of  this  important  dis- 
covery is  as  interesting  and  as  strange  as  that  of  any  story 
ever  published.* 

On  the  bleak  hillside,  near  the  Ramesseum  at  Thebes, 
dwelt  an  Arab  family  of  four  brothers,  bearing  the  name  of 
Abd  er-Rasul.  They  followed  the  business  of  guides  to 
those  who  visited  the  ruins  of  Thebes  and  sold  antiquities 
more  or  less  valuable  to  travelers.  Almost  every  traveler 
has  a desire  to  carry  with  him  a relic  of  the  past  as  a 
souvenir  of  his  journey.  In  1871,  on  the  mountain  side  of 
Deir-el-Bahari,  not  far  from  their  home,  they  discovered 
the  resting-place  of  the  Pharaohs,  but  the  secret  was  kept 

*We  hereby  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Wilson,  Brugsch  and  Budge,  whose 
interesting  works  we  have  used  in  preparing  this  account  of  the  finding  of  Pharaoh’s 
body. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


235 


securely  locked  in  the  breasts  of  the  brothers.  They  made 
occasional  visits  to  the  place,  bringing  away  each  time  a 
supply  of  funeral  antiquities  which  were  sold  to  travelers. 
They  sold  scarabs,  small  images,  books  of  papyrus,  and 
other  articles  that  had  been  buried  with  the  bodies  of  the 
dead.  Thus  the  brothers  Rasul  profited  by  their  important 
discovery  and  kept  well  their  secret  for  ten  years.  At  last 
the  officials  of  the  Boolak  Museum  of  Egyptian  Antiqui- 
ties at  Cairo,  seeing  the  number  of  genuine  articles  of  un- 
doubted antiquity  which  returning  travelers  brought  with 
them,  suddenly  awoke  to  the  important  fact  that  a valuable 
discovery  had  been  made  by  the  Arabs. 

Early  in  1881  extreme  measures  were  entered  into  to 
secure  the  secret.  Numbers  of  arrests  were  made  without 
avail.  Among  others,  Ahmed  Abd  er-Rasul  was  thrown 
into  prison  at  Keneh  and  subjected  to  various  kinds  of  tor- 
ture. He  was  subjected  to  the  bastinado  (pounding  the 
soles  of  the  feet  with  a flat  board),  and  although  his  feet 
were  pounded  so  that  he  could  not  walk  for  several 
months,  yet  his  lips  remained  sealed.  No  amount  of  tor- 
ture could  extract  the  secret  from  Ahmed.  He  remained 
in  prison  four  months  and  was  then  set  at  liberty,  and  the 
authorities  knew  no  more  than  when  they  first  arrested 
him. 

After  his  liberation  and  return  to  his  home,  a council 
was  held  by  the  four  brothers.  They  discussed  the  ques- 
tion of  what  was  best  for  them  to  do.  Some  thought  the 
danger  was  now  all  over;  Ahmed  thought  not;  spies  would 
be  set  to  watch  them  and  great  care  must  be  exercised.  In 
the  discussion  of  the  question  the  brothers  could  not  agree, 
and  a quarrel  was  the  result.  Ahmed  knew  that,  when 
agreement  between  himself  and  his  brothers  was  impos- 
sible, the  secret  was  no  longer  safe.  He  determined  to  act 


236 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


accordingly.  In  the  darkness  of  the  night  he  quietly  left 
his  home,  unknown  to  the  others,  and  made  his  way  down 
the  river  to  Keneh,  the  scene  of  his  imprisonment  and  tor- 
ture. He  asked  to  be  taken  before  the  Mudir  (local  gov- 
ernor of  the  district),  and  when  his  request  was  complied 
with  he  told  the  official  that  he  knew  the  hiding-place  of 
the  Pharaohs. 

The  governor  telegraphed  at  once  to  the  authorities  at 
Cairo.  When  the  important  news  was  received,  Emil 
Brugsch,  Director  of  the  Museum,  scarcely  able  to  credit 
the  news,  started  at  once  with  the  government  and 
museum  steamers  for  Thebes,  where  he  arrived  July  4, 
The  next  day  Ahmed  conducted  Brugsch  and  his 
party  to  the  place  where  the  bodies  were  hidden.  They 
crossed  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  and,  after  a long  and  tedious 
climb  up  the  western  slope  of  the  mountain  side,  a spot  was 
reached  where  the  stones  appeared,  to  an  expert  observer 
and  tomb-searcher,  to  have  been  arranged  by  hand  rather 
than  scattered  by  some  upheaval  of  nature. 

Here  the  Arab  guide  suddenly  stopped  and  said,  “This 
is  the  place.”  In  a short  time  the  stones,  which  to  a cas- 
ual observer  looked  as  if  they  had  not  been  disturbed  for 
centuries,  were  removed  and  the  mouth  of  a shaft  was  dis- 
closed. Ahmed  had  not  led  Brugsch  astray.  He  had  re- 
vealed his  long-kept  secret.  Ropes  were  secured,  a heavy 
palm  log  was  laid  across  the  mouth  of  the  shaft,  and  slow- 
ly the  stones  were  all  removed.  It  was  found  that  the 
shaft  was  forty  feet  deep  and  six  feet  square.  It  had  been 
cut  down  into  the  living  rock. 

By  means  of  a rope  Brugsch  now  went  down  into  the 
shaft.  Reaching  the  bottom  he  found  a subterranean  pas- 
sage, which  ran  westward  twenty-four  feet,  and  then,  turn- 
ing northward  at  a right  angle,  continued  into  the  heart  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


237 


the  mountain.  The  explorer  pressed  anxiously  forward,  his 
torch  only  dimly  lighting  the  passage  in  the  bowels  of  the 
mountain.  The  passage  finally  terminated  in  a burial 


The  M ummy  Head  of  Seti  /,  Father  of  the  Pharaoh 


of  the  Oppression . From  a Photograph . 

chamber  thirteen  feet  wide,  twenty-three  feet  long  and  six 
feet  high.  It  was  not  a large  place,  and  yet  it  was  large 
enough  to  hold  the  treasures  so  long  and  so  eagerly  sought 
for  in  vain. 

In  this  secret  underground  chamber  the  director  found 
piled  up,  not  only  the  coffin  of  “ the  Pharaoh  of  the  op- 


238 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


pression,”  but  the  sarcophagi  which  contained  the  bodies 
of  thirty-eight  kings,  queens,  princes  and  high  priests  of 
ancient  Egypt.  The  mountain  gave  up  its  dead,  and  the 
Pharaoh  who  set  hard  taskmasters  over  Israel  was  taken 
from  his  second  resting-place.  It  may  now  be  seen  by  all 
who  visit  Cairo. 

Herr  Brugsch  gave  the  following  account  of  the  finding 
of  the  royal  mummies  to  Mr.  Wilson:*  “ Finding  Pharaoh 
was  an  exciting  experience  to  me.  It  is  true  I was  armed 
to  the  teeth,  and  my  faithful  rifle,  full  of  shells,  hung  over 
my  shoulder;  but  my  assistant  from  Cairo,  Ahmed  Effendi 
Kemal,  was  the  only  person  with  me  whom  I could  trust. 
Any  one  of  the  natives  would  have  killed  me  willingly,  had 
we  been  alone,  for  every  one  of  them  knew  better  than  I 
did  that  I was  about  to  deprive  them  of  a great  source  of 
revenue.  But  I exposed  no  sign  of  fear  and  proceeded 
with  the  work.  The  well  cleared  out,  I descended  and  be- 
gan the  exploration  of  the  underground  passage. 

“Soon  we  came  upon  cases  of  porcelain  funeral  offer- 
ings, metal  and  alabaster  vessels,  draperies  and  trinkets, 
until,  reaching  the  turn  in  the  passage,  a cluster  of 
mummy  cases  came  into  view  in  such  numbers  as  to  stag- 
ger me. 

“Collecting  my  senses,  I made  the  best  examination  I 
could  by  the  light  of  my  torch,  and  at  once  saw  that  they 
contained  the  mummies  of  royal  personages  of  both  sexes; 
and  yet  that  was  not  all.  Plunging  in  ahead  of  my 
guide,  I came  to  the  chamber,  where,  standing  against  the 
wall  and  lying  on  the  floor,  I found  even  a greater  number 
of  mummy  cases  of  stupendous  size  and  weight. 

“ Their  gold  coverings  and  their  polished  surfaces  so 
plainly  reflected  my  own  excited  visage,  that  I seemed  to 


*E.  L.  Wilson,  "Through  Scripture  Lands.” 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


239 


be  looking  into  the  faces  of  my  own  ancestors.  The  gilt 
face  on  the  outer  coffin  of  the  amiable  Queen  Nefertari 
seemed  to  smile  upon  me  like  an  old  acquaintance. 

“ I took  in  the  sit- 
uation quickly  with 
a gasp,  and  hurried 
to  the  open  air  lest 
I should  be  over- 
come and  the  glori- 
ous prize  still  unre- 
vealed be  lost  to 
science. 

“It  was  almost 
sunset  then.  Al- 
ready the  odor  which 
arose  from  the  tomb 
had  cajoled  a troop 
of  slinking  jackals  to 
the  neighborhood, 
and  the  howl  of  hy- 
enas was  heard  not 
far  distant.  A long 
line  of  vultures  sat 
upon  the  highest 
pinnacles  of  the 
cliffs  near  by,  ready 
for  their  hateful 
work. 

“The  valley  was  as  still  as  death.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  the  night  was  occupied  in  hiring  men  to  help  remove  the 
precious  relics  from  their  hiding-place.  There  was  but  lit- 
tle sleep  in  Luxor  that  night.  Early  the  next  morning 
three  hundred  Arabs  were  employed  under  my  direction, — 


Mummy  Head  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the 
Oppression.  From  a Photograph. 


'40 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


each  one  a thief.  One  by  one  the  coffins  were  hoisted  to 
the  surface,  were  securely  sewed  up  in  sail-cloth  and  mat- 
ting, and  then  carried  across  the  plain  of  Thebes  to  the 
steamers  awaiting  them  at  Luxor. 


Abd  er- Rasul,  Brugsch  Bey,  and  Maspero. 

(As  photographed  by  E.  L.  Wilson  at  the  mouth  of  the  shaft  at  Deir-el-Bahari.) 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


241 


“Two  squads  of  Arabs  accompanied  each  sarcophagus, 
— one  to  carry  it  and  the  other  to  watch  the  wily  carriers. 
When  the  Nile  overflow,  lying  midway  of  the  plain,  was 
reached,  as  many  more  boatmen  entered  the  service  and 
bore  the  burden  to  the  other  side.  Then  a third  set  took 
up  the  ancient  freight  and  carried  it  to  the  steamers.  Slow 
workers  are  these  Egyptians,  but  after  six  days  of  hard 
labor  under  the  July  sun,  the  work  was  finished. 

“ I never  shall  forget  the  scene  I witnessed  when, 
standing  at  the  mouth  of  the  shaft,  1 watched  the  strange 
line  of  helpers  while  they  carried  across  that  historical 
plain  the  bodies  of  the  very  kings  who  had  constructed 
the  temples  still  standing,  and  of  the  very  priests  who  had 
officiated  in  them, — the  Temple  of  Hatason  nearest;  away 
across  from  Qurneh;  further  to  the  right  the  Ramesseum, 
where  the  great  granite  monolith  lies  face  to  the  ground; 
further  south  Medineh.  Above,  a long  way  beyond,  the 
Deir-el-Medineh;  and  then  the  twin  Colossi,  or  the  Vocal 
Memnon  and  his  companion;  then,  beyond  all,  some  more 
of  the  plain,  the  line  of  the  Nile,  and  the  Arabian  hills  far 
to  the  east,  and  above  all,  and  with  all,  slowly  moving  down 
the  cliff  and  across  the  plain,  or  in  the  boats,  crossing  the 
stream,  w'ere  the  sullen  laborers  carrying  their  antique 
burdens. 

“As  the  Red  Sea  opened  and  allowed  Israel  to  pass 
across  dry-shod,  so  opened  the  silence  of  the  Theban  plain, 
allowed  the  strange  funeral  procession  to  pass,  and  then  all 
was  hushed  again. 

“When  we  made  our  departure  from  Luxor,  our  late 
helpers  squatted  in  groups  upon  the  Theban  side  and  si- 
lently watched  us.  The  news  had  been  sent  down  the  Nile 
in  advance  of  us,  so  when  we  passed  the  towns  the  people 
gathered  at  the  quays  and  made  most  frantic  demonstra- 


242 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


tions.  The  fantasia  dancers  were  holding  their  wildest  or- 
gies; here  and  there  a strange  wail  went  up  from  the  men; 
the  women  were  screaming  and  tearing  their  hair,  and  the 
children  were  so  frightened  I pitied  them. 

“ A few  fanatical  Dervishes  plunged  into  the  river  and 
tried  to  reach  us,  but  a sight  of  the  rifle  drove  them  back, 
cursing  as  they  swam  away.  At  night  fires  were  kindled 
and  guns  were  fired. 

“ At  last  we  reached  Boolak,  where  I soon  confirmed 
my  impression  that  we  had  indeed  received  the  mummies 
of  the  majority  of  the  rulers  of  Egypt  during  the  eight- 
eenth, nineteenth,  twentieth  and  twenty-first  dynasties,  in- 
cluding Raineses  II,  Rameses  III,  King  Pinotm,  the  high 
priest  Nebseni,  and  Queen  Nefertari,  all  of  which  are  ar- 
ranged at  Boolak  pretty  much  as  I found  them  in  their  long- 
hidden  tomb.  And  thus  our  museum  became  the  third, 
and  probably  the  last,  resting-place  of  the  mummy  of  the 
great  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression.” 

Such  is  the  interesting  account  given  by  the  man 
whom  the  world  credits  with  the  finding  of  Pharaoh’s  body. 
Ahmed  Abd  er-Rasul  the  Arab  is  under  a cloud  of  suspi- 
cion. He  took  a few  relics  from  the  tomb  and  sold  them. 
The  bodies  and  all  their  belongings  were  taken  away  by 
the  director  in  the  interest  of  science,  and  the  revenue  of 
the  Khedive  is  increased  twenty-five  cents  every  time  a 
traveler  goes  to  see  the  bodies.  Europe  has  robbed  Egypt 
for  a hundred  years,  and  the  museums  in  London,  Paris, 
Berlin  and  other  cities  are  filled  with  her  treasures.  We 
are  glad  that  these  are  collected  and  saved  from  destruc- 
tion, but  let  us  not  be  too  severe  in  condemning  Ahmed 
Abd  er-Rasul. 

When  Herr  Brugsch  reached  Cairo  with  his  precious 
cargo  of  Pharaohs,  queens  and  princes  (having  passed  on 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


243 


the  way  down  the  river  the  site  of  Memphis,  the  ancient 
capital  of  Egypt,  where  these  kings  had  reigned  more  than 
three  thousand  years  before)  lie  had  it  carefully  unloaded 
from  the  steamer  and  placed  in  the  museum,  which  was  to 
be,  for  a time  at  least,  its  last  resting-place.  Here  the 
bodies  were  all  carefully  examined  by  Brugsch,  Maspero, 
and  other  noted  Egyptian  scholars,  and  all  doubt  as  to  the 
identity  of  the  bodies  was  removed,  for  in  black  ink,  writ- 
ten upon  the  outer  and  inner  mummy  cases  by  the  high 
priests  who  had  superintended  the  burial,  was  the  record 
testifying  to  the  identity  of  the  royal  contents. 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  1886,  the  body  of  Ramcses  II 
was  carefully  unwrapped  by  Prof.  Maspero,  in  the  presence 
of  the  Khedive  of  Egypt  and  other  distinguished  person- 
ages. With  a skillful  hand  the  professor  removed  the 
bandages.  On  the  winding  sheet  of  the  mummy,  over  the 
region  of  the  breast,  was  also  found  his  name  plainly  writ- 
ten. In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  bandages  which  were 
wrapped  about  the  body  so  many  centuries  ago  were  un- 
loosed and  taken  off.  When  Prof.  Maspero  removed  the 
last  bandage  the  face  of  the  Pharaoh  who  knew  not  Joseph, 
and  who  oppressed  Israel,  appeared. 

The  following  careful  account  of  the  appearance  of  the 
body  was  given  in  the  professor’s  report:  “The  head  is 
long  and  small  in  proportion  to  the  body.  The  top  of  the 
skull  is  quite  bare.  On  the  temples  there  are  a few  spare 
hairs,  but  at  the  poll  the  hair  is  quite  thick,  forming 
smooth,  straight  locks  about  five  centimetres  in  length; 
white  at  the  time  of  death,  they  have  been  dyed  a light 
yellow  by  the  spices  used  in  embalming.  The  forehead  is 
low  and  narrow;  the  brow-ridge  prominent;  the  eyebrows 
are  thick  and  white;  the  eyes  small  and  close  together;  the 
nose  is  long,  thin,  and  arched  like  the  noses  of  the  Bour- 


244 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


bons,  and  slightly  bruised  at  the  tip  by  the  pressure  of  the 
bandages.  The  temples  are  sunken,  the  cheek-bones  very 
prominent,  the  ears  round,  standing  far  out  from  the  head, 
and  pierced  like  those  of  a woman  for  the  wearing  of  ear- 
rings. The  jaw-bone  is  massive  and  strong;  the  chin  very 
prominent;  the  mouth  small,  but  thick-lipped  and  full  of 
some  kind  of  black  paste.  This  paste  being  partly  cut 
away  with  the  scissors,  disclosed  some  much  worn  and  very 
brittle  teeth,  which,  moreover,  are  white  and  well  pre- 
served. The  mustache  and  beard  are  thin;  they  seem  to 
have  been  shaven  during  life,  but  were  probably  allowed  to 
grow  during  the  king’s  last  illness,  or  they  may  have  grown 
after  death.  The  hairs  are  white,  like  those  of  the  head 
and  eyebrows,  but  harsh  and  bristly.  The  skin  is  of  earthy 
brown,  spotted  with  black. 

“Finally,  it  may  be  said  that  the  face  of  the  mummy 
gives  a fair  idea  of  the  face  of  the  living  king.  The  ex- 
pression is  unintellectual,  perhaps  slightly  animal;  but  even 
under  the  somewhat  grotesque  disguise  of  mummification, 
there  is  plainly  to  be  seen  an  air  of  sovereign  majesty,  of 
resolve,  and  of  pride.  The  rest  of  the  body  is  as  well  pre- 
served as  the  head;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  reduction  of 
the  tissues,  its  external  aspect  is  less  lifelike.  The  neck  is 
no  thicker  than  the  vertical  column;  the  chest  is  broad;  the 
shoulders  are  square;  the  arms  are  crossed  upon  the  breast; 
the  hands  are  small  and  dyed  with  henna;  and  the  wound 
in  the  left  side,  through  which  the  embalmers  extracted  the 
viscera,  is  large  and  open.  The  legs  and  thighs  are  flesh- 
less;  the  feet  are  long,  slender,  somewhat  flat-soled,  and 
dyed  like  the  hands,  with  henna.  The  corpse  is  that  of  an 
old  man,  but  of  a vigorous,  robust  old  man.  We  know, 
indeed,  that  Rameses  II  reigned  for  sixty-seven  year:,,  _...J 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  245 

that  he  must  have  been  nearly  one  hundred  years  old  when 
he  died.” 

This  description  will  enable  the  reader  to  form  a very 
fair  idea  of  the  appearance  of  Pharaoh  as  he  looked  after 
the  wrappings  were  removed  from  his  body  in  1886,  and  he 
has  not  changed  in  appearance  since  then.  At  Cairo  we 
had  plenty  of  time  and  a good  opportunity  to  examine 
carefully  the  Egyptian  antiquities,  none  of  which  interested 
us  more  than  the  great  Pharaoh  with  whom  we  stood  face 
to  face. 

Touching  the  portrait  of  the  king,  found  among  the 
monuments  of  ancient  Egypt,  Mr.  Paine,  an  authority  on 
the  subject,  says:  “ In  the  outline  drawing  of  his  counte- 
nance, the  artist  of  more  than  thirty  centuries  ago,  clearly 
endeavored  to  trace  the  very  profile  which  time  has  dealt 
so  tenderly  with,  and  now,  in  the  last  days,  has  unvailed  to 
our  reverent  gaze.  Even  if  his  royal  name  had  not  been 
written  by  Pinotem  upon  his  cerements,  we  would  have 
been  able  readily  to  recognize,  and  safely  to  identify,  the 
great  Rameses  from  his  monuments.” 

We  now  come  to  another  question,  Why  were  the 
bodies  of  Pharaoh  and  the  kings,  queens,  and  princes  found 
with  him,  removed  from  the  tombs  in  which  they  were 
placed  when  they  died?  Why  were  they  hid  away  in  the 
desolate  mountain  fastness,  west  of  Thebes,  to  be  discov- 
ered by  the  Arab  brothers  Rasul?  To  enter  fully  into  the 
details,  which  an  answer  to  this  question  would  involve,  is 
impossible  within  the  limits  of  this  volume.  We  can  give 
but  a brief  summary  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  removal 
of  the  bodies  from  their  tombs. 

When  the  ancient  Egyptians  buried  their  dead,  they 
placed  many  things  in  the  tombs  with  them;  among  others, 
papyrus  rolls  on  which  were  written  historical  sketches,  re- 


246 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ports,  stories,  etc.  These  rolls  were  really  the  books  of  an- 
cient Egypt.  When  the  bodies  of  the  kings  were  found, 
many  of  these  books  were  also  discovered;  two  of  them, 
the  one  known  as  the  Abbott,  the  other  as  the  Amherst 
Papyrus,  contain  the  key  to  the  solution  of  the  question. 

It  seems  from  these  writings  that  not  many  years  after 
the  death  of  Rameses  II  the  lawless  classes  in  Thebes  com- 
menced to  break  open  and  pillage  the  tombs  in  order  to 
secure  the  gold,  silver  and  other  treasures  which  they  con- 
tained. The  Abbott  Papyrus  contains  an  account  of  the 
trial  of  those  who  were  engaged  in  these  robberies.  The 
trial  lasted  four  days,  when  one  of  the  robbers  turned 
state’s  evidence  and  made  a full  confession  of  how  they 
broke  into  the  tomb  of  King  Sevek-em-saf.  The  transla- 
tion reads  as  follows: 

“ It  was  surrounded  with  masonry,  and  covered  in  with 
roofing  stones.  We  demolished  it  and  found  there  the 
king  and  queen  reposing  therein.  We  found  the  august 
king  with  his  divine  axe  beside  him,  and  his  amulets  and 
ornaments  of  gold  about  his  neck.  His  head  was  covered 
with  gold,  and  his  august  person  was  entirely  adorned  with 
gold.  His  coffin  was  overlaid  with  gold  and  silver  within 
and  without,  and  incrustcd  with  all  kinds  of  precious 
stones.  We  took  the  gold  which  we  found  upon  his  sacred 
person,  as  also  his  amulets,  and  the  ornaments  which  were 
about  his  neck,  and  about  the  coffin  in  which  he  reposed. 
And  having  likewise  found  the  royal  wife,  we  took  all  that 
we  found  upon  her  in  the  same  manner.  We  seized  upon 
their  furniture,  their  vases  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  bronze, 
and  we  divided  them  among  ourselves.” 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  robbing  graves  for  gain  is  as 
old  as  the  Pharaohs  of  Egypt.  The  above  confession  ex- 
plains two  things:  it  tells  why  such  great  care  was  taken  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


247 


secrete  and  hide  away  the  small  chamber  in  which  the  dead 
body  was  laid  to  rest,  and  why  the  royal  mummies  were 
not  left  to  repose  “ each  in  his  own  house.”  When  the 
robberies  were  detected  and  the  robbers  brought  to  justice, 
it  was  felt  that  even  the  tombs  of  the  kings  were  not  safe, 
and  at  any  time  these  chambers  of  the  dead  might  be  bro- 
ken open  and  despoiled,  and  the  bodies  of  the  kings  de- 
stroyed. The  priests  of  the  line  of  Herhor  determined  to 
find  a place  of  greater  security. 

On  the  secluded  mountain  side  of  Deir-el-Bahari,  the 
spot  for  the  hiding-place  was  sought  and  found.  A shaft 
was  sunk  forty  feet  into  the  living  rock,  from  the  bottom  of 
which  a tunnel  led  into  the  heart  of  the  mountain,  as  de- 
scribed above.  The  coffins  were  one  by  one  secretly  re- 
moved from  the  tombs  of  the  kings  and  carried  to  the 
lonely  mountain  side;  here  they  were  lowered  by  ropes  to 
the  bottom  of  the  shaft  and  then  carried  to  the  inner  cham- 
bers and  piled  up.  After  the  work  was  completed,  the 
shaft  was  filled  with  stone,  and  the  loose  stones  which  cov- 
er the  hillside  were  so  replaced  that  one  might  pass  over 
the  shaft  fifty  times  without  observing  it.  The  priests  kept 
their  secret  well,  and  it  died  with  them.  At  last  the  body 
of  Pharaoh  had  found  a resting-place  where  it  remained  un- 
disturbed for  nearly  thirty  centuries.  Then  the  hiding- 
place  was  found,  the  body  taken  out  and  carried  to  Cairo, 
where  it  is  now  exhibited  in  the  Boolak  Museum, 
v The  story  of  the  hiding  away  and  the  finding  of  Pha- 
raoh’s body  is  stranger  than  fiction,  and  to  the  writer  it  has 
an  interest  that  has  been  intensely  absorbing.  The  sketch 
is  brief,  but,  brief  as  it  has  been  given,  it  has  grown  too 
long.  And  yet  we  must  not  close  it  without  giving  one 
more  remarkable  result  of  the  finding  of  Pharaoh’s  body. 


248 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Isa.  52:4  says:  “For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  My 
people  went  down  aforetime  into  Egypt  to  sojourn  there; 
and  the  Assyrian  oppressed  them  without  cause.”  This 
passage  of  Scripture  seemed  difficult  to  understand.  Why. 
or  how,  could  the  Assyrian  oppress  Israel  in  Egypt?  The 
two  countries  are  widely  separated,  and  the  statement 
seemed  to  be  out  of  place.  Some  were  ready  to  say  that 
Isaiah  made  a mistake.  But  the  monuments  of  Egypt  and 
the  finding  of  Pharaoh’s  body  make  the  statement  plain. 

Seti  I,  the  father  of  Pharaoh,  was  of  Assyrian  extrac- 
tion. His  mother  Tuaa  was  from  the  land  whence  Abra- 
ham was  called.  She  was  a queen  of  great  beauty.  In  her 
rock-cut  tomb  at  Thebes  is  a well-preserved  portrait  of  her 
face.  It  is  not  Egyptian.  “ The  nose,  especially,  is 
straight  and  pointed;  the  brow  is  high,  implying  an  intel- 
lect of  superior  order.  Though  her  lips  indicate  a loving 
heart,  she  evidently  possessed  more  of  spirit  than  of  gentle- 
ness. The  face  is  that  of  a very  attractive  and  beautiful 
woman.  If  Rebekah  and  Rachel  were  only  half  as  fair  as 
she,  they  were  well  worth  a journey  to  Mesopotamia  to 
obtain.” 

The  Pharaoh  who  oppressed  the  Israelites,  although  an 
Egyptian  by  birth,  was  an  Assyrian  by  extraction.  When 
Isaiah  wrote  that  the  “ Assyrian  oppressed  ” God’s  people 
in  Egypt,  he  knew  what  he  was  writing  about,  and  those  to 
whom  he  wrote  understood  it  equally  well.  This  is  only 
another  of  the  many  instances  where  the  excavations  and 
discoveries  in  Egypt  show  that  the  Bible  account  is  literal- 
ly true,  if  we  only  arrive  at  a proper  understanding  of  it. 

While  at  Thebes  we  had  a strong  desire  to  visit  the 
Arab  Rasul,  through  whose  instrumentality  the  bodies  of 
the  Pharaohs  were  discovered.  The  dragoman  of  our  party 
seemed  averse  to  going  with  us.  The  Egyptian  govern- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


249 


ment  regards  the  old  man  with  suspicion,  and  our  dragoman 
was  not  far  from  it.  Not  having  the  fear  of  the  Khedive 
before  our  eyes  we  arranged  for  our  visit.  The  Elder,  be- 
ing somewhat  indisposed  on  account  of  hard  work  at  sight- 
seeing, did  not  accompany  us.  We  engaged  Hassan  Ali, 
a native  of  Luxor,  a bright,  intelligent  Arab,  as  interpreter 
and  guide.  Jan.  5,  1893,  alone  with  Hassan  we  set  out  for 
the  home  of  Ahmed  Abd  er-Rasul.  On  the  way  Hassan, 
in  answer  to  the  question,  “What  will  become  of  you  when 
you  die?  ” said: 

“ Hassan  good  Mohammedan.  When  he  die  friends 
bury  him.  He  hope  God  let  him  rest  in  Paradise.  He 
work  very  much.  He  drink  no  strong  drink.  He  tell  no 
lie.  He  speak  no  bad  word.  When  have  no  business  he 
pray  one,  two,  three  times  a day.  When  have  plenty 
business,  no  pray.  No  time  to  pray  then.” 

We  had  more  conversation  with  him,  but  this  will  suf- 
fice. We  wondered  how  many  professing  Christians  there 
are  like  Hassan  Ali,  “ plenty  business,  no  time  to  pray.” 

We  crossed  the  Nile  and  rode  over  the  plain  of  Thebes 
to  the  Ramesseum,  and  then  leaving  the  beaten  path  we 
crossed  over  a hillside  avenue,  covered  with  broken  pottery 
of  the  Roman  period.  Around  us  on  every  side  deep  holes 
were  dug  in  the  ground.  They  showed  where  the  mummy 
hunters  had  been  at  work.  In  fifteen  minutes  we  came  to  a 
house  much  better  than  the  average  Arab  hut.  It  was  the 
house  of  Ahmed.  Stopping  at  the  door,  his  brother  Mo- 
hammed met  us.  He  rapped  on  the  door  and  called  out 
in  a loud  voice,  to  warn  the  women  who  were  in  the  room 
to  go  out.  We  caught  a glimpse  of  a pair  of  dark  eyes 
peering  cautiously  around  the  corner  of  the  house,  but  they 
vanished  quickly  when  the  owner  found  that  she  was  ob- 
served. This  was  an  excusable  bit  of  womanly  curiosity. 


25O  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

The  door  opened,  and  a tall,  well-built  old  man  of  sixty-five 
years,  with  gray  hair  and  beard,  came  out.  It  was  Ah- 
med Abd  er-Rasul,  the  man  to  whom  the  world  is  really  in- 
debted for  the  finding  of  Pharaoh’s  body.  He  received  the 
visitor  with  a stately  courtesy.  Shaking  hands  warmly,  he 
invited  us  to  enter  his  house.  He  then  brought  two  chairs, 
the  only  furniture  in  the  room  except  a rude  table,  gave 
one  to  his  guest  and  took  the  other  himself.  His  brother 
Mohammed,  and  his  son  of  the  same  name,  with  Hassan 
Ali  sat,  Arab  fashion,  on  the  floor. 

After  being  seated,  we  said  to  Ahmed  that  we  had 
heard  of  him  in  far-away  America  and  of  the  important  dis- 
covery he  had  made,  that  we  had  traveled  nearly  eight 
thousand  miles  to  visit  the  ruins  of  Thebes  and  that  we 
were  glad  to  meet  him  in  his  own  house,  where  we  had 
come  to  pay  our  respects  to  him.  This  speech  having 
been  turned  into  Arabic  by  Hassan,  the  Arab  replied  that 
he  was  happy  because  of  the  visit,  that  his  house  was  our 
house  and  that  we  were  most  welcome  to  his  home. 

After  this  Ahmed  left  the  room  for  a moment,  and  on 
his  return  we  heard  the  sound  of  the  pestle  in  the  stone 
mortar  and  knew  that  one  of  his  women  was  pounding  the 
Arabian  coffee.  Not  caring  especially  for  the  coffee  we 
rose  to  go,  but  Ahmed  insisted  that  we  must  drink  coffee 
with  him.  As  it  would  have  been  a serious  breach  of  Arab 
hospitality  to  refuse,  the  request  was  complied  with. 

In  about  ten  minutes  he  went  out  again  and  returned 
with  a waiter  on  which  were  placed  five  small  cups  filled 
with  coffee.  He  handed  a cup  to  us,  then  placed  the  wait- 
er on  the  table  and  took  his  chair.  His  brother  Moham- 
med then  rose  from  the  floor,  handed  a cup  of  coffee  to 
Ahmed,  gave  one  to  Hassan  and  to  Ahmed’s  son,  and 
took  the  remaining  cup  himself.  Before  drinking  the  host 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


251 


wished  us  continual  good  health  and  prosperity.  The  cups 
contained  about  two  tablespoonfuls  of  coffee.  It  was  quite 
as  much  as  we  wanted. 

After  the  coffee  drinking  was  concluded,  the  host  took 
from  his  clothing  a large  pouch.  From  this  he  took  a long 
strip  of  thin,  white  paper  and  a small  quantity  of  tobacco. 
Wetting  the  paper  with  his  lips,  he  placed  the  tobacco  on 
it  and,  rolling  it'  up,  made  a cigarette  which  he  offered  to 
us.  We  politely  informed  him  that  we  did  not  smoke, 
which  seemed  to  surprise  him  very  much.  The  cigarette 
was  lighted,  a few  whiffs  taken  and  then  passed  to  his 
brother. 

Thinking  now  that  our  visit  had  been  extended  to  the 
limit  of  propriety,  we  arose  and  took  our  leave.  In  part- 
ing, Ahmed  again  thanked  us  for  our  visit,  shook  hands 
warmly  and  said,  “ God  give  you  a safe  journey  to  your 
own  home  and  to  your  wife.”  As  we  mounted  our  donkey, 
he  said  he  wanted  us  to  know  that  he  was  very  angry  with 
those  who  had  treated  him  so  badly  in  connection  with  his 
discovery.  He  sent  his  brother  with  us,  and  we  rode  away 
and  saw  no  more  of  Ahmed  Abd  er- Rasul. 

But  this  was  not  to  be  the  last  of  our  visit  to  the 
Arab’s  home.  On  our  return  from  Nubia,  ten  days  later, 
his  son  Mohammed  met  us  at  Luxor,  bearing  from  his  fa- 
ther a present  of  some  valuable  Egyptian  antiquities  which 
he  handed  to  us  with  the  good  wishes  of  Ahmed.  These 
relics  of  the  past  we  prize  very  highly  and  hope  to  bring 
them  home  with  us. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


The  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus.  — His  Succession  to  the  Throne. — His 
Troublous  Reign.  — His  Son  Seti  Menephthah  made  Regent. — The 
Testimony  of  the  Monuments. — The  Death  of  the  Firstborn. — The 
Fleeing  Israelites. — Pharaoh's  Pursuit. — The  Destruction  of  his 
Host. 


HEN  Rameses  II  died  he  left  behind  him  a large 
number  of  sons  and  daughters,  for,  according  to 
FhtSS-  BrUgSCh  ancj  Rawlinson,  he  introduced  the  practice 
of  polygamy  into  Egypt.  Monogamy,  always  compulsory 
on  private  persons,  had  also  been  practiced  by  the  monarchs 
until  the  reign  of  this  king.  The  monuments  tell  of  a 
prince  of  the  name  of  Kahmus.  He  was  the  favorite  son 
of  Pharaoh's  favorite  queen,  Isi-nefret,  and  was  to  succeed 
him  on  the  throne  of  Egypt.  The  young  prince  was  much 
loved  by  his  father.  He  was  made  regent  and  reigned 
jointly  with  him  for  a number  of  years.  But  the  great  age 
attained  by  Rameses  II  left  him  still  ruler  at  the  death  of 
his  son,  which  occurred  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  reign, 
when  Prince  Kahmus  was  about  fifty.* 

Rameses  II  was  succeeded  by  his  fourteenth  and  eldest 
surviving  son,  Menephthah  II,  who  is  generally  believed  to 
have  been  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus.  To  the  Bible  stu- 
dent the  life  and  history  of  this  man  are  full  of  interest. 
As  Paine  says,  if  we  were  to  choose  between  the  Pharaoh  of 
the  oppression  and  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus,  or  were 
asked,  “ Out*of  the  several  Pharaohs  mentioned  in  the  Bi- 


*“  Ancient  Egypt,”  page  337. 
2$2 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


253 


ble,  which  one  above  all  others  would  you  most  wish  to 
learn  about?  ” with  scarcely  a moment’s  hesitation  we 
would  answer,  “The  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus.”  Not  because 
of  his  greatness,  but  because  he  is  that  one  who  replied, 
“Who  is  the  Lord,  that  I should  obey  his  voice  to  let  Isra- 
el go?  I know  not  the  Lord,  neither  will  I let  Israel  go;”* 
that  one  who  required  bricks  and  withheld  the  straw  from 
the  already  burdened  and  groaning  Hebrews;  that  one  be- 
fore whom  the  contest  by  enchantment  took  place,  until 
the  magicians  gave  up,  exclaiming,  “This  is  the  finger  of 
God;”  that  one  who  recalled  his  consent  the  instant  the 
evils  were  removed;  that  one  who,  under  all  the  signs  and 
wonders  and  plagues  of  Jehovah,  hardened  his  heart  up  to 
the  very  entrance  of  death  into  his  dwelling  to  lay  low  his 
cherished  firstborn  son,  the  heir  to  the  throne;  that  one  who 
repented  having  thrust  out  the  bondmen,  and  pursued  aft- 
er them,  and  overtook  them  encamping  by  the  sea;  that 
one,  in  fine,  upon  whose  hosts  the  sea  returned  to  its  flow, 
till  there  remained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them.f 

To  understand  more  fully  the  relations  the  different 
Pharaohs  sustain  to  each  other  we  must  take  a glance  at 
Egyptian  history,  so  far  as  it  has  become  a settled  record. 
It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  chronologists  do  not  all  agree 
in  their  calculations  of  the  time  covered  by  the  Bible 
events.  The  same  is  true  of  Egyptian  chronology.  As  to 
time,  Egyptian  history  may  be  divided  into  three  great  pe- 
riods: first,  the  ancient  monarchy  about  which  very  little 
is  known,  and  about  which  the  chronologists  differ  widely. 
Second,  the  reign  of  the  shepherd  kings,  known  as  the  Hyk- 
sos.  The  history  of  this  line  of  kings  is  also  enveloped  in 
mystery.  The  monuments  and  tombs  make  some  disclo- 

*Ex.  s:  2. 

fPaine  in  the  Century  for  September,  1889. 


254 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


sures  concerning  them,  but  little  is  known  about  them. 
Third,  the  later  monarchy,  with  Thebes  as  its  capital,  which 
comes  in  contact  with  the  Bible  history. 

We  have,  in  our  study  of  the  Bible,  grouped  all  we 
know  of  these  t^ee  periods  around  the  names  of  the  patri- 
archs Abraham,  Jacob,  Joseph  and  Moses.  These  names 
follow  each  other  in  the  Bible  in  such  a way  that  we  are  apt 
to  forget  that  many  years  are  covered  by  the  Pentateuch, 
and  that  there  is  not  a continuity  in  the  Bible  story.  The 
author  of  the  first  five  books  of  the  Bible  did  not  write  a 
history  of  Egypt,  but  of  the  chosen  people  of  God,  and  he 
briefly  alludes  to  the  Pharaohs  only  when  they  come  in 
touch  with  the  events  recorded  in  the  history  of  the  He- 
brews. 

We  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  Pharaoh  who  reigned 
when  Abram  and  his  beautiful  wife  Sarai  went  down  into 
Egypt  lived  some  two  hundred  years  before  Joseph  became 
the  slave  of  Potiphar;  and  over  a hundred  years  elapsed 
from  the  time  of  Joseph’s  Pharaoh  until  “there  arose  up  a 
new  king  over  Egypt,  which  knew  not  Joseph.”  In  this 
time  a number  of  Pharaohs  reigned.  According  to 
Brugsch,  who  is  an  authority  on  the  history  of  Egypt,  fif- 
teen Pharaohs  reigned  in  the  four  hundred  years  preceding 
tlie  death  of  Menephthah  II,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus. 
He  gives  the  following  list  of  rulers  for  the  two  hundred 
years  preceding  the  death  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppres- 
sion: i 


Rameses  I. 
Seti  I. 

Rameses  II. 


Amen-hotep  III. 
Amen-hotep  IV. 
Horus. 


Menephthah  II. 


The  same  author  says:  “The  new  Pharaoh  ‘who  knew 
not  Joseph’  and  who  adorned  the  cities  of  Rameses  and 
Pithom  with  temples  and  treasuries,  can  be  no  other  than 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


255 


Rameses  II.  He  is  undoubtedly  the  Pharaoh  of  the  op- 
pression, and  the  father  of  that  unnamed  princess  who 
found  Moses  in  the  little  papyrus  bark  among  the  flags  of 
the  river.  . . As  Rameses  II  must  be  regarded  as  the 

Pharaoh  under  whom  Moses  first  saw  the  light,  so  the 
chronological  relations, — having  regard  to  the  great  age  of 
the  two  contemporaries,  Rameses  II  and  Moses, — demand 
that  Menephthah  II  should,  in  all  probability,  be  acknowl- 
edged as  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus!'*  The  general  agree- 
ment among  Egyptologists  as  to  the  Pharaohs  of  the 
oppression  and  exodus,  with  the  inscriptions  recently  dis- 
covered and  the  finding  of  the  body  of  Rameses  II,  leaves 
but  little  room  for  doubt  on  this  question. 

The  monuments  of  Egypt  are  not  silent  as  to  the  life 
and  character  of  Menephthah  II,  the  vacillating  Pharaoh  of 
the  exodus.  While  during  his  troublous  reign  he  did  not 
erect  great  temples  and  hundreds  of  statues  as  his  father 
did,  yet  he  has  left  his  record  on  the  temple  walls  and 
statues  of  others.  At  Thebes  there  is  a beautiful  statue  in 
bas-relief  of  Menephthah.  The  engraving  which  we  give  is 
from  a photograph  of  the  head  of  the  statue  which  appears 
in  outline  on  page  258.  It  is  said  to  be  a masterpiece  of 
ancient  Egyptian  art  and  is  especially  interesting  because 
it  presents  to  us  the  face  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus. 

Of  his  reign  Rawlinson  says:  “ Inheriting  from  his  fa- 
ther an  empire  which  was  everywhere  at  peace  with  its 
neighbors,  he  might  have  expected  to  have  had  a tranquil 
and  prosperous  reign,  and  to  have  carried  on  the  burst  of 
architectural  energy  which  had  manifested  itself  under  his 
father  and  grandfather.  The  power  however  which  directs 
human  affairs,  wholly  disappointed  these  expectations. 
The  unclouded  prospects  of  his  early  years  gave  place,  aft- 


*Brugsch,  “History  of  Egypt.” 


256  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

er  a brief  interval,  to  storm  and  tempest  of  the  most  fear- 
ful kind;  a terrible  invasion  carried  fire  and  sword  into  the 
heart  of  his  dominions;  and  he  scarcely  escaped  this  dan- 
ger when  internal  troubles  broke  out, — a subject  race,  high- 


Menephthah,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus , 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


257 


ly  valued  for  the  services  which  it  was  forced  to  render,  in- 
sisted on  quitting  the  land;  a great  loss  was  incurred  in  an 
attempt  to  compel  it  to  remain;  rebellion  broke  out  in  the 
south;  and  the  reign,  which  had  commenced  under  such 
fair  auspices,  terminated  in  calamity  and  confusion.  Me- 
nephthah  was  quite  incompetent  to  deal  with  the  difficult 
circumstances  in  which  he  found  himself  placed;  he  hesi- 
tated, temporized,  made  concessions,  retracted  them — and 
finally  conducted  Egypt  to  a catastrophe  from  which  she 
did  not  recover  for  a generation.”* 

The  search  among  the  monuments  of  ancient  Egypt  re- 
veals many  interesting  facts  concerning  Menephthah  II  and 
his  troublous  reign.  The  question  as  to  whether  the  antiq- 
uities of  Egypt  do  fully  illustrate  the  life  of  the  man  who 
defied  the  power  of  God  even  until  his  firstborn  son  was 
slain  may  be  answered  in  the  affirmative.  Many  of  the 
best  Egyptian  scholars,  among  whom  are  Rawlinson,  Rob- 
inson, Paine,  Brugsch,  and  others,  set  forth  the  history  of 
Menephthah  in  the  light  of  recent  discoveries  in  Egypt. 
To  these  authors  we  are  indebted  for  what  we  here  give  of 
his  life. 

Among  the  many  interesting  facts  known  concerning 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus  it  now  comes  out  that  he  was  se- 
riously troubled  in  the  last  years  of  his  reign  by  a pretend- 
er to  the  throne.  Why  should  there  be  a pretender  in  any 
case,  if  there  was  a legitimate  heir,  the  firstborn  son  of  the 
monarch?  It  almost  assumes  that  there  was  no  such  per- 
son, to  say  that  a pretender  set  up  a claim,  and,  indeed, 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  golden  scepter  and  holding  it 
for  five  years.  Put  with  this  the  information,  supplied  by  a 
monument  preserved  in  the  Berlin  Museum,  which  tells 
that  Menephthah  II  lost  a son  by  a very  melancholy  and 


Ancient  Egypt.”  pages  337,  33S, 


258  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


sudden  death.  Nei- 
ther this  nor  that 
gives  the  c i r c u in- 
stances, but  the  fact 
is  noted,  and  the  sto- 
ry is  silent.  That  the 
successor  of  Me- 
nephthah  II  was 
dead  had  to  be  stated 
because  of  the  titles 
in  the  reigning  line; 
but  that  he  died  in 
the  terrible  plague 
of  the  exodus  was 
perhaps  too  much  for 
Egyptian  vanity. 
Here  the  narrative  of 
the  Inspired  Book  is 
needed  to  supple- 
ment a group  of  sug- 
gest i ve  facts,  and 
connect  them  so  that 
they  can  be  under- 
stood. It  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  any 
mention  would  be 
made  of  the  ten 
plagues  by  which 
Pharaoh  was  brought 
into  subjection  to  Je- 
hovah; the  details 
were  too  mortify- 
ing to  be  related, 


Outline  of  Statue  of  Menephthah  at  Thebes. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


259 


Think  of  the  humiliation  of  Pharaoh  in  having  to  admit 
that  princes  of  the  blood,  and  maid  servants  in  the  houses, 
prisoners  in  jails,  and  laborers  in  the  field,  even  beasts  in 
their  stalls,  must  share  the  same  awful  stroke  of  Jehovah’s 
wrath;  the  king  must  mourn  in  his  grief  over  his  eldest  boy, 
as  the  bereaved  beggar  mourned  over  his  dead  son.  There 
would  be  one  common  wail  of  broken  hearts  throughout 
Egypt.  Hence  national  haughtiness  would  hush  up  such 
things.  But  the  Bible  gives  them:  “And  it  came  to  pass, 
that  at  midnight  the  Lord  smote  all  the  firstborn  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  from  the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  his 
throne  unto  the  firstborn  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the  dun- 
geon; and  all  the  firstborn  of  the  cattle.”  Ex.  12:  29.* 

These  particulars  show  a wonderful  corroboration  be- 
tween the  story  of  the  life  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus, 
as  revealed  by  the  monuments  of  ancient  Egypt,  and  the 
Bible  narrative  written  by  Moses.  But  the  references  to 
the  king  and  his  son  who  was  to  have  succeeded  him  on 
the  throne  of  Egypt  do  not  stop  here.  The  agreement  be- 
tween the  monuments  and  the  Bible  will  become  more 
apparent  as  we  continue,  thus  affording  more  abundant  tes- 
timony of  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  God. 

One  among  the  first  things  undertaken  by  a young 
prince  was  to  prepare  a sepulchre  for  his  body.  The  son 
of  Menephthah  II  began  such  a tomb  in  the  valley  of  the 
tombs  of  the  kings  where  his  ancestors  were  laid  to  rest. 
It  was  never  finished.  Champollion,  the  P'rench  Egyptolo- 
gist, says  of  it:  “ This  poor  sepulchral  hall  was  only  a cor- 
ridor in  the  plan,  whose  extremity  lies  still  in  the  rough 
rock;  and  it  became  the  room  of  the  sarcophagus,  or  funer- 
al chamber,  by  the  accident  of  the  death  of  the  Pharaoh.” 
The  unfinished  tomb  and  the  accident  referred  to  tell  us  of 


*Robinson. 


26o 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


an  early  and  sudden  death,  and  we  think  at  once  of  the  fate 
of  the  firstborn  in  Egypt. 

A number  of  wall  tablets  have  been  found  in  Mount 
Silsilis  on  which  are  inscriptions  and  pictures  in  bas-relief 
referring  to  Menephthah  II  and  his  son.  Paine  refers  to  no 
less  than  six  of  these  tablets.  They  set  forth  that  the  son 
of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  exodus  was  Seti  Menephthah;  thus 
showing  that  the  young  prince  bore  the  names  of  his  great 
grandfather,  Seti,  and  of  his  father.  They  also  make  it 
clear  that  he  was  associated  on  the  throne  with  his  father. 
One  of  the  inscriptions  speaks  in  these  extravagant  terms 
of  the  young  prince:  “Crown  prince  of  the  palace  over  the 
two  countries,  chief  of  millions,  head  over  hundreds  of 
thousands,  he  who  stands  in  closest  relationship  to  the 
good  God,  the  royal  son  of  his  body  begotten,  beloved  of 
him,  of  royal  birth,  the  chief  of  the  soldiers,  the  very  great 
regent  in  behalf  of  him.”*  Here  we  are  informed  that  Me- 
nephthah II  had  made  his  son  regent  and  that  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  upon  the  throne.  With  these  facts  in 
the  mind  let  us  read  the  words  of  the  Lord,  spoken  by  the 
mouth  of  his  servant  Moses:  “ About  midnight  will  I go 
out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt:  and  all  the  firstborn  in  the 
land  of  Egypt  shall  die,  from  the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that 
sitteth  upon  his  throne,  even  unto  the  firstborn  of  the  maid- 
servant that  is  behind  the  mill;  and  all  the  firstborn  of 
beasts.”  Ex.  11:  4,  5.  The  monuments  tell  us  that  the 
firstborn  son  of  Pharaoh,  the  prince  Seti  Menephthah,  sat 
on  the  throne  of  his  father  as  associate  ruler.  The  Bible 
refers  to  him  as  “ the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sitteth  upon 
his  throne.”  The  correspondence  between  the  two  is  most 
remarkable,  and  the  testimony  is  complete. 


*Baine. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


2b  I 


The  evidence  that  the  firstborn  son  of  the  Pharaoh  of 
the  exodus  died  very  young  is  not  wanting.  In  the  corri- 
dor of  the  unfinished  tomb  to  which  we  have  referred  is  a 
statue  of  the  prince  in  bas-relief.  It  is  remarkably  well 
preserved.  Providence,  who  dealt  so  severely  with  both  fa- 
ther and  son,  shielded  this  statue  of  the  son  through  all  the 
centuries  that  have  passed  since  it  was  chiseled  on  the 
walls  of  the  tomb,  so  that  we  can  see  him  to-day  as  he  was 
in  life.  The  figure  is  a masterpiece  of  beauty.  It  is  full  of 
life  and  expression.  The  artist  who  conceived  and  wrought 
this  gem  had  real  genius  and  great  skill.  The  lineaments 
are  full  of  youthlike  tenderness.  Way  back  in  those  days 
of  antiquity  the  graver  knew  how  to  soften  rock. 

About  the  statue  are  the  royal  cartouches  and  beneath 
these  are  the  signs  for  deceased , “ Makheru.”  These  are  re- 
peated, and  their  date  must  be  very  nearly  that  of  the 
death  of  the  prince.  Had  this  statue  been  sculptured  any 
length  of  time  before  his  death,  these  signs  for  deceased 
would  be  absent.  Inasmuch  as  in  this  instance  there  was 
no  need  to  make  the  subject  younger  than  he  actually  was, 
or  more  divine,  Seti  Ivlenephthah  could  not  have  been  more 
than  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought  low  instant- 
ly, here  to  be  committed  to  his  “eternal  home.”  A por- 
trait statue  of  Seti  Menephthah  in  middle  life  or  old  age 
does  not  exist.*  Again  we  note  the  wonderful  agreement 
between  the  monuments  and  the  Bible. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  facts  Paine  invites  our  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  the  antiquities  of  Egypt,  the  best 
among  authorities,  stand  ready  to  teach  us:  i.  That  Seti 
Menephthah  was  the  firstborn  son  of  his  father.  2.  That 
his  father  lived  to  a great  age.  3.  That  the  son’s  adminis- 
tration was  merely  one  of  regency  in  behalf  of  his  father. 


*Paine  in  the  Century  for  September,  1889. 


262 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


4.  That  the  son  died  early,  before  the  father  died.  It  fol- 
lows that  Seti  Menephthah  corresponds  to  the  Biblical  (1) 
firstborn  son  (2)  of  a living  Pharaoh,  (3)  who  sat  on  his 
throne,  (4)  but  died  suddenly  before  his  father  died.  Both 
the  Egyptian  monuments  and  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  de- 
scribe a situation  embracing  four  distinct  premises:  the 
four  are  identical  in  both  accounts;  the  logical  conclusion, 
therefore,  must  be  that  they  relate  to  the  same  personage, 
for  in  the  nature  of  things  two  series  of  such  identical  par- 
ticulars would  not  occur  apart  once  in  many  ages. 

There  has  also  come  down  to  us  from  the  ancient 
tombs  a papyrus  containing  a funeral  dirge,  written  on  the 
death  of  Seti  Menephthah.  Translated  it  reads  as  follows: 

“O  fan  bearer  at  the  right  of  the  king, 

Crown  prince  in  the  grand  hall  of  Seb, 

Royal  scribe  of  truth! 

Thy  mouth  and  thy  lips  were  full  of  health: 

Thou  wast  in  favor  with  the  king  all  thy  life. 

O Horus,  friend  of  things  that  are  just! 

Thou  shalt  dwell  a thousand  years  on  the  earth, 

Thou  reposest  upon  the  mountain 

Whose  mistress  is  on  the  west  of  Thebes,  in  the  Necropolis. 
Thy  soul  is  renewing  itself  among  the  living, 

And  mingling  among  the  perfected  spirits. 

Descending  into  the  divine  bark,  thou  are  not  repulsed, 

Thou  passest  even  to  the  jaws  of  the  tomb; 

Thou  art  judged  before  the  deity  Osiris; 

Thou  art  proclaimed  righteous.” 

And  here  we  may  leave  the  prince  who  died  on  that 
night  when  the  angel  of  death  passed  over  the  land  of 
Egypt.  The  greatest  trial  and  the  darkest  hour  in  the  life 
of  Menephthah  II  must  have  been  when  his  son  was  strick- 
en dead  by  the  mysterious  God  of  the  Hebrews.  And  who 
can  doubt  that  his  own  voice  went  up  in  the  great  cry  that 
welled  forth  from  desolate  homos  that  dark  night  in  Egypt? 
The  king  was  now  an  old  man,  and  the  blour  came  all  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


263 


heavier  because  on  his  dead  boy  rested  all  his  hopes  of  a 
successor  to  the  throne  of  Egypt.  Now  his  last  hope  was 
gone.  No  son  of  his  should  sit  upon  the  throne  of  Kam. 
No  wonder  that  this  great  calamity  broke  his  proud  heart 
and  conquered  his  stubborn  will. 

For  the  time  being  he  is  a changed  man  and  he  hum- 
bles himself  before  the  God  of  Israel:  “And  he  called  for 
Moses  and  Aaron  by  night,  and  said,  Rise  up,  and  get  you 
forth  from  among  my  people,  both  ye  and  the  children  of 
Israel;  and  go,  serve  the  Lord,  as  ye  have  said.  Also  take 
your  flocks  and  your  herds,  as  ye  have  said,  and  be  gone; 
and  bless  me  also.”  Ex.  12:  31,  32.  So  the  proud  king 
submitted  and  even  humbled  himself  to  ask  a blessing  from 
Moses,  the  servant  of  the  most  high  God. 

With  the  permission,  given  in  the  words  of  a command, 
the  men  and  women  who  had  been  slaves  for  so  many  years 
fled  at  once  from  the  land  of  bondage.  Hope  ran  high  and 
joy  filled  every  heart,  for  at  last  the  Lord  had  heard  their 
cry  and  was  now  leading  them  away  from  their  cruel  task- 
masters, away  from  the  land  of  bondage  to  the  promised 
land  of  freedom.  But  the  vacillating  king  had  already 
changed  his  mind.  This  believer  in  sorcery,  enchantments, 
and  in  dreams  was  already  saying,  “Why  have  we  done 
this,  that  we  have  left  Israel  go  from  serving  us?”  He 
doubtless  thought  of  the  loss  he  was  sustaining.  He  saw 
the  empty  brick-yards,  the  deserted  public  works,  where 
but  yesterday  the  slaves  were  toiling  by  the  thousands  and 
everything  was  full  of  life.  Now  all  is  hushed  and  still. 
The  Hebrews  are  gone.  “ Why  have  I done  this  thing?” 
Menephthah  II  asks  himself  again.  He  forgets  the  death 
of  his  son,  he  makes  ready  his  chariot  and  pursues  the  flee- 
ing bondmen,  hoping  to  overtake  them  and  bring  them  back 
into  bondage.  Again  he  is  ready  to  defy  the  Lord  of  heav- 


264 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


en  and  again  comes  the  Divine  Hand  between  Pharaoh  and 
the  Israelites  to  save  them.  The  sea  is  opened,  the  Israel- 
ites pass  through  and  the  army  of  Pharaoh,  following  them, 
is  overthrown  in  the  waters.  “Thus  the  Lord  saved  Israel 
that  day  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians;  and  Israel  saw 
the  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  sea  shore.”  Ex.  14:  30. 

Did  Pharaoh  lead  his  army  into  the  sea?  Did  he  per- 
ish with  them,  and  if  so  was  his  body  covered  up  in  the 
sands  of  the  sea?  The  Mosaic  account  does  not  say  that 
Pharaoh  was  drowned.  In  Psalms  136:  15  we  have  these 
words:  “ But  overthrew  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the  Red 
sea;”  but  the  marginal  reading  gives,  as  the  meaning  of  the 
Hebrew  word,  “shook  off,”  instead  of  overthrow.  The  Re- 
vised Version  gives  the  same  reading.  In  reading  the  care- 
ful account  written  by  Moses  there  is  nothing  said  about 
the  destruction  of  the  king.  The  language  used  is  clear 
and  explicit:  “ And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over 
the  sea,  and  the  sea  returned  to  his  strength  when  the 
morning  appeared;  and  the  Egyptians  fled  against  it,  and 
the  Lord  overthrew  the  Egyptians  in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 
And  the  waters  returned,  and  covered  the  chariots,  and  the 
horsemen,  and  all  the  host  of  Pharaoh  that  came  into  the 
sea  after  them;  there  remained  not  so  much  as  one  of 
them.”  Ex.  14:  27,  28.  If  Pharaoh  had  gone  in  with  his 
army  and  had  been  drowned,  it  is  not  likely  that  a state- 
ment of  the  fact  would  have  been  omitted  from  the  ac- 
count. It  will  also  be  noticed  that  in  the  song  of  Moses, 
sung  after  the  deliverance  of  the  Israelites,  no  mention  is 
made  of  the  death  of  Pharaoh  himself, 

A singular  fact  is  that,  when  the  bodies  of  the  father 
and  grandfather  of  Menephthah  II  were  found  at  Deir-el- 
Bahari,  his  body  was  not  found  with  them.  It  was  not 
found  in  the  magnificent  tomb  that  he  prepared  for  it, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


265 


which  we  visited  at  Thebes.  Why?  The  question  cannot 
now  be  answered.  He  may  have  perished  in  the  Red  Sea; 
he  may  have  been  entombed  and  afterwards  his  body  hie 
den  away  from  the  grave-robbers.  The  question  must  be 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  excavator.  The  body  of  the  Pha- 
raoh of  the  exodus,  he  who  defied  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  may  some  day  be  found,  and  we  may  look  upon  h’s 
face. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Farewell  to  Thebes. — The  Temples  at  Esneh  and  Edfou. — Assuan  and 
the  First  Cataract. — The  Granite  Quarries. — The  Market-place. 
The  Bisharin. — Camel  Riding. — The  Tropic  of  Cancer. — Persistent 
Merchants. — The  Nilometer. — A Quiet  Ride  on  the  Desert.  — The 
Famine  of  the  Bible. 


) ffU'fHE  time  allotted  for  our  stay  at  No-amon  passed 
quickly  away  and  we  leave  Luxor  reluctantly,  feel- 
ing  that  months  might  be  spent  to  advantage  in  ex- 
ploring the  mighty  ruins  of  Thebes.  We  are  to  spend  some 
time  here  on  our  return,  so  we  go  away,  hoping  to  see  more 
of  this  interesting  place.  Southward  we  journey,  stemming 
the  current  of  the  Nile  and  occasionally  coming  to  a sud- 
den standstill  on  some  hidden  sandbar,  recently  formed  by 
the  ever-changing  current  of  the  river.  Our  pilot  is  watch- 
ful and  the  measuring  pole  is  constantly  in  use,  but  with 
every  possible  care  he  fails.  The  sandbars  are  hidden  by 
the  muddy  waters  and  are  a source  of  considerable  anxiety. 
Owing  to  this  hindrance,  our  progress  up  the  river  is  slow, 
but  we  suffer  no  harm,  for  the  engineer  clears  the  boat  by 
reversing  the  engines  and  backing  down  stream. 

During  the  forenoon  we  have  a light  shower  of  rain, 
quite  an  unusual  occurrence  in  Upper  Egypt.  Years  pass 
here  without  a drop  of  rain  falling,  so  that  literally  the  land 
here  drinks  not  “ the  water  of  the  rain  of  heaven.”  The 
great  deserts  on  either  side  of  the  Nile  valley  are  without 
moisture.  Clouds  do  not  form  and  the  land  is  without 
rain. 


266 


Interior  of  the  Temple  at  Esneh 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  267 

Our  first  stop  after  leaving  Thebes  is  at  Esneh,  where 
there  is  a temple  which  has  only  recently  been  excavated. 
Centuries  ago  the  sands  of  the  desert,  drifting  over  the  edi- 
fice, covered  it  up  and  preserved  from  vandalism  its  beauti- 
ful sculptures  and  paintings.  Compared  with  Thebes,  the 


268 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


temple  at  Esneh  is  of  modern  construction,  for  it  was  built 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era  and  bears  the  name 
of  several  Roman  emperors.  The  interior  is  beautiful. 
The  capitals  of  the  columns  bear  the  palm  leaf  instead  of 
the  lotus.  The  colorings  on  the  walls  are  as  fresh  and 
bright  as  if  they  had  been  laid  on  but  a few  years  ago. 
Our  engraving  shows  the  interior  construction  of  the  tem- 
ple. 

After  our  visit  to  the  interesting  temple  we  are  fol- 
lowed to  the  boat  by  more  than  a hundred  men  and  boys 
begging  for  backsheesh.  Their  dwelling-place  is  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Esneh  and  they  hail  the  arrival  of  the  traveler  with 
delight,  for  they  usually  succeed  in  securing  some  money 
as  a result  of  their  begging.  After  we  had  regained  the 
boat,  the  crowd  stood  on  the  steep  banks,  shouting  back- 
sheesh at  the  top  of  their  voices.  Some  of  the  passengers 
threw  small  pieces  of  money  among  them  and  then  the 
rush  and  struggle  for  the  coins  became  furious.  At  times 
a half  dozen  boys  were  piled  together,  pushing  and  pulling 
with  all  their  strength  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  their 
voices  in  the  struggle  to  gain  the  coveted  prize.  Half 
naked  when  the  struggle  began,  they  were  soon  divested  of 
all  their  clothing.  When  one  w'ould  finally  secure  the 
piece  of  money  it  was  quickly  placed  in  the  mouth.  Sever- 
al of  the  masses  of  shouting,  struggling  men  and  boys 
rolled  down  the  steep  bank  into  the  river.  It  was  a furious 
mob  and  was  only  dispersed  after  the  boat  had  pulled  away 
from  the  shore.  Even  then  the  crowd  ran  along  the  shore 
shouting  backsheesh,  backsheesh,  and  the  last  faint  sound 
that  was  wafted  to  our  ears  across  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
from  Esneh  was  b-a-c-k-s-h-e-e-s-h. 

This  incident  was  not  only  amusing  but  instructive  as 
well.  All  over  the  world  the  love  of  money  is  common  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


269 


humanity.  The  desire  to  get  gain  crops  out  on  all  sides. 
In  our  great  commercial  centers  are  organized  boards  of 
trade.  The  writer  has  witnessed  fully  as  much  excitement 
and  heard  as  much  shouting  and  yelling  on  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade  when  the  corn  market  was  cornered  as  was 
heard  among  the  Arabs  at  Esneh.  The  only  real  differ- 
ence in  the  two  crowds  was  that  of  culture.  Both  had  the 
same  object  in  view,  the  getting  of  money,  and  when  the 
superior  advantages  of  civilization  are  taken  into  considera- 
tion it  remains  to  be  said  that  the  Esneh  crowd  will  com- 
pare favorably  with  that  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade. 

At  Edfou  we  stop  for  the  night.  We  are  now  five  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  miles  south  of  Cairo  and  are  nearing  the 
first  cataract.  At  Edfou  is  perhaps  the  best  preserved 
temple  m Egypt.  In  1864  it  was  excavated  by  Mariette 
Bey.  Prior  to  that  time  it  was  hidden  beneath  the  sand 
and  an  Arab  village  stood  above  its  walls  and  sanctuary. 

The  temple  at  Edfou  was  begun  under  the  reign  of 
Ptolemy  Euergetes  I,  B.  C.  237,  and  was  completed  B.  C. 
57.  Thus  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  were  spent  in  the 
construction  of  this  magnificent  structure.  Our  engraving 
shows  the  pylon  in  front,  the  open  court  in  the  center  and 
the  covered  chambers  and  sanctuary  in  the  rear.  The 
space  enclosed  by  the  walls  measures  four  hundred  and 
fifty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  of  our  twelfth  day  on  the 
Nile  we  leave  Edfou  and,  passing  Silsilis,  where  are  the 
tablets  referring  to  the  reign  of  Menephthah  II,  to  which 
we  called  attention  in  a preceding  chapter,  and  Kom  Om- 
bo,  where  there  is  a temple  dedicated  to  the  crocodile  god 
of  ancient  Egypt,  we  proceed  at  once  to  Assuan,  at  the 
first  cataract. 


View  of  the  Temple  of  Edfou. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


2/1 


Before  reaching  the  first  cataract  the  scenery  along  the 
Nile  changes.  The  country  is  more  hilly  and  rolling,  and 
“ instead  of  flat,  monotonous  banks  of  sand  and  mud,  we 
have  masses  of  rock  broken  up  into  grotesque  and  fantastic 
forms.  Groves  of  palm,  mimosa,  and  castor-oil  plant  come 
down  to  the  water’s  edge.  The  limestone  and  sandstone 
ranges  which  we  find  in  the  Nile  valley  from  Cairo  to  Silsilis, 
here  give  place  to  granite,  porphyry  and  basalt.  The  islands 
in  the  stream  are  no  longer  shifting  accretions  of  mud  alter- 
nately formed  and  dissolved  by  the  force  of  the  current, 
but  rocks  and  boulders  of  granite,  which  rise  high  above 
the  river  and  resist  its  utmost  force.”  The  water  rushes 
and  foams  about  the  base  of  these  granite  formations  and 
with  a rapid  descent  forms  what  is  known  as  the  first  cata- 
ract. It  is  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a waterfall,  but  simply  a 
rushing,  rapid  descent  of  the  river.  The  small  Nile  boats 
are  taken  up  the  rapids  to  the  smooth  waters  above  the 
cataract. 

We  have  now  reached  the  border-land  of  Nubia. 
Egypt,  the  kingdom  of  the  Pharaohs,  is  left  behind  us. 
We  stand  on  the  line  between  Upper  Egypt  and  the  Ethio- 
pia of  the  Bible.  It  was  of  this  very  place  that  the  proph- 
et spoke  when  he  said,  “ Behold,  therefore  I am  against 
thee,  and  against  thy  rivers,  and  I will  make  the  land  of 
Egypt  utterly  waste  and  desolate,  from  the  tower  of  Syene 
even  unto  the  border  of  Ethiopia.”  Ezek.  29:  10. 

Assuan  lies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Nile,  partly  on  the 
narrow  strip  of  fertile  land  and  partly  on  a hill.  The  date 
palm  grows  to  perfection  here,  and  the  fruit  is  noted  for  its 
excellent  quality.  We  never  ate  finer  dates  than  those 
grown  here.  The  city  contains  a native  population  of 
about  ten  thousand  souls,  but  was  at  one  time  much  larger. 
The  Arabian  historians  record  the  fact  that  at  one  time 


2^2 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


twenty  thousand  people  died  here  of  the  plague.  The  an- 
cient name  of  the  place  was  Syene,  and  it  was  known  by 
this  name  in  Bible  times. 

It  was  near  this  place  that  the  quarries  of  the  famous 
syenite  were  located.  Here  the  great  obelisks,  the  facing 
of  the  pyramids,  the  granite  coffins  and  the  statuary  of  the 
Pharaohs  were  cut,  and  then  floated  down  the  river  on  rafts 
to  the  places  where  they  were  used.  In  the  quarry,  partly 
covered  with  sand,  is  an  immense  obelisk,  which  the  an- 
cient stone-cutters  partly  finished  and  then,  for  some  cause 
unknown  to  the  world  to-day,  rejected  and  left  in  its  unfin- 
ished state.  The  granite  took  its  name  from  the  place 
where  it  was  quarried, — Syene, — and  is  known  all  over  the 
world  now  as  syenite.  Some  of  the  granite  found  here  is 
susceptible  of  a very  high  polish.  We  gathered,  for  some 
friends  at  home  who  are  especially  interested  in  the  study 
of  geology,  a few  pieces  that  had  been  chipped  off  by  the 
ancient  workmen.  We  shall  visit  the  quarries  again  and 
have  more  to  say  of  them.  Assuan  is  the  center  of  a great 
traffic  with  the  interior  of  Africa.  Great  caravans  arrive 
from  the  desert,  bringing  ostrich  feathers,  ivory,  india  rub- 
ber, senna,  tamarinds,  wax,  skins,  horns,  spears,  dried  dates 
and  other  merchandise.  The  camels  are  unloaded  and 
then,  after  a few  days’  rest,  are  loaded  with  cotton  cloth, 
prints,  beads,  guns,  powder,  and  other  manufactured  arti- 
cles for  barter  with  the  native  tribes  of  the  interior.  An 
open  space  outside  the  town  serves  as  a market-place  and 
storehouse.  Here  Arabs,  Turks,  Ethiopians,  Nubians, 
Abyssinians  and  Negroes  from  central  Africa  meet  on  a 
common  level  and  perfect  equality.  It  is  noticeable  here 
that  the  color  of  a man’s  skin  is  not  set  down  as  an  objec- 
tionable feature,  and,  be  he  white  or  black,  so  long  as  he 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


conducts  himself  in  accordance  with  the  standard  rules  of 
society  he  is  considered  a man. 

We  walk  through  the  open  market-place,  and  it  is  full 
of  interest  to  us.  Here  are  groups  of  merchants  buying 
and  selling  their  wares.  Here  and  there  are  bales  of  goods 
around  which  women  and  children  are  lounging  in  their 
quaint  costume,  which  is  noted  for  being  extremely  scanty. 
Fires  are  kindled  and  cooking  is  being  done,  for  the  mer- 
chants and  their  families  eat  and  sleep  by  their  goods.  In 
this  market-place  one  may  purchase  for  a small  sum  of 
money  any  of  the  products  of  central  Africa.  Do  you 
want  a huge  elephant  tusk,  valuable  for  its  ivory?  Here 
you  can  find  it.  Would  you  purchase  beautiful  ostrich 
feathers?  Here  they  are, — white,  grey  or  black,  to  suit 
your  taste.  Then  there  are  ebony  war  clubs,  poisoned  ar- 
rows, mounted  spears,  shields  made  of  rhinoceros  hide, 
fans,  silver  rings  and  armlets,  ivory  hoops,  all  of  which  are 
for  sale.  And  here  you  may  see  strange  birds  and  mon- 
keys, and  sometimes  young  lions,  all  brought  from  the  inte- 
rior of  Africa.  Mr.  Manning  was  offered  a lion  cub  for 
seventy-five  dollars.  The  owner,  not  finding  a purchaser  at 
that  price,  gradually  came  down  to  twenty.  “ It  was  a 
good  tempered  little  brute,  playing  about  like  an  over- 
grown kitten,  but  an  angry  growl  and  an  ominous  showing 
of  the  teeth  gave  warning  of  trouble  at  no  distant  period.” 

At  Assuan  we  saw  a number  of  an  African  tribe  called 
Bisharin.  A short  distance  from  the  city  there  is  a village 
of  these  peculiar  people.  They  live  in  the  most  primitive 
style,  without  houses  or  tents.  A few  pieces  of  matting 
made  of  palm  leaves  and  supported  by  sticks  afford  them 
all  the  shelter  they  have.  As  it  is  quite  warm  here,  even 
in  midwinter,  and  never  rains,  the  matting  answers  a good 
purpose  as  a shade  in  midday.  We  took  with  us  an 


274 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Abyssinian  who  spoke  a little  English  and  visited  the  Bis- 
harin  village.  The  people  were  quite  friendly  and  were  not 
averse  to  talking,  but,  owing  to  the  fact  that  our  interpreter 
had  but  a limited  knowledge  of  their  dialect,  our  conversa- 
tion was  quite  limited.  The  young  boys  and  girls,  with 
their  sparkling  black  eyes,  their  beautiful,  ivory-like  teeth, 
and  their  brown  skin,  were  really  handsome,  but  the  men 
and  women,  owing  to  the  hideous  manner  of  wearing  the 
hair  and  grinning,  were  far  from  beautiful. 

At  one  place  a woman  was  grinding  alone  at  a mill 
very  similar  to  the  hand-mills  used  in  Palestine.  She  kept 
on  at  her  work  and  when  I stooped  down  and  took  up  a 
little  of  the  coarse  meal  in  my  hand  she  offered  an  objec- 
tion. I then  showed  her  a piece  of  money,  but  she  seemed 
to  have  no  disposition  to  be  friendly.  One  of  those  who 
were  standing  by  ran  away  and  in  a few  minutes  returned 
with  a handful  of  the  meal,  for  which  I gave  her  the  piece 
of  money.  The  people  came  around  me  in  a crowd  and 
were  much  interested  in  examining  my  pocket  compass  and 
watch.  The  ticking  of  the  watch  pleased  and  interested 
the  men  and  women  as  much  as  it  does  our  children,  and 
the  movement  of  the  magnetic  needle  was  a source  of  great 
wonder  to  them. 

A camel  ride  was  enjoyed,  or  rather  endured,  during 
our  stay  at  the  first  cataract.  At  the  pyramids  we  rode  a 
camel  for  a short  distance  on  the  desert,  but  our  first  real 
experience  of  this  kind  of  travel  was  at  Assuan.  The 
camel  is  the  common  beast  of  burden  in  Egypt.  His  home 
is  on  the  sands  of  the  desert,  and  he  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  his  home.  He  can  travel  for  days  without  water  or 
food,  but  he  does  not  do  it  without  protest.  Camels  are 
natural  growlers.  As  they  come  and  go,  heavily  burdened 
and  with  their  long  necks  craning  forward,  they  keep  up  a 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


275 


chorus  of  short  grunts  and  growls.  This  seems  to  be  their 
only  consolation.  They  are  cross  and  do  not  show  any 
signs  of  affection  for  their  drivers.  On  the  contrary,  they 
will  give  them  a vicious  nip  if  a favorable  opportunity 
offers.  They  kneel  down  when  they  receive  their  burden, 
and  again  when  they  are  to  be  unloaded. 

When  we  were  seated  on  the  back  of  the  kneeling  an- 
imal the  driver  said,  “ Look  out,”  and  suddenly  the  camel 
lifted  its  rear  to  a standing  posture,  throwing  us  violently 
forward.  It  required  a tight  grip  to  keep  from  being 
rolled  off  in  the  sand.  Then  a sudden  jerk  brought  the 
animal  on  all  fours,  and  we  set  off  for  a ride  on  the  “ship 
of  the  desert.”  The  camel  has  a peculiar  gait,  which  has 
been  called  a corkscrew  motion,  and  is  caused  by  the  ani- 
mal lifting  both  feet  on  the  same  side  at  the  same  time. 
The  motion  is  very  tiresome,  and  after  a time  becomes  ex- 
ceedingly painful.  The  rider  must  learn  to  sway  his  body 
with  the  peculiar  motion  of  the  camel.  Until  he  does  this, 
there  is  nothing  so  fatiguing  as  riding  of  this  kind.  The 
Fdder  assured  the  writer  that  lie  felt  the  effects  of  his 
camel  ride  for  some  days,  and  wanted  no  more  of  it. 

The  following  from  a writer  who  has  made  a study  of 
the  camel  is  somewhat  lengthy,  but  it  is  worth  preserving: 
“Its  long  neck  is  elevated  and  stretched  forward.  It  is 
carrying  its  head  horizontally,  with  its  upper  lip  drawn 
down.  In  this  drawn-down  lip,  and  in  its  whole  demeanor, 
there  is  an  expression  of  contempt, — contempt  for  the 
modern  world.  You  can  read  its  thoughts.  ‘I  belong,’  it 
is  saying  to  itself,  for  it  cares  nothing  about  you,  still  you 
can’t  help  understanding  it,  ‘ I belong  to  the  old  world. 
There  was  time  and  room  enough  then  for  everything. 
What  reason  can  there  be  for  all  this  crowding  and  hasten- 
ing? 1 move  at  a pace  which  used  to  satisfy  kings  and 


2/6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


patriarchs.  My  fashion  is  the  old  world  fashion.  Rail- 
ways and  telegraphs  are  nothing  to  me.  Before  the  pyra- 
mids were  thought  of,  it  had  been  settled  what  my  burden 
was  to  be,  and  at  what  pace  it  was  to  be  carried.  If  any  of 
these  unresting  pale  faces  (what  business  have  they  with 
me?)  wish  not  to  be  knocked  over,  they  must  get  out  of 
the  way.  I give  no  notice  of  my  approach;  I make  way  for 
no  man.  What  has  the  grand,  calm  old  world  come  to? 
There  is  nothing  now  anywhere  but  noise  and  pushing  and 
money-grabbing;’  and  every  camel  that  you  will  meet  will 
be  going  the  same  measured  pace,  holding  its  head  in  the 
same  position,  drawing  down  its  lip  with  the  same  con- 
tempt, and  soliloquizing  in  the  same  style.” 

The  ancient  astronomers  made  Assuan  noted  because 
they  claimed  that  it  was  situated  on  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 
and  that  it  was  here  that,  on  the  longest  day  of  the  year, 
the  rays  of  the  sun  fell  vertically.  It  was  also  stated  that 
there  was  a famous  well  here  into  which  the  sun,  at  the 
same  season  of  the  year,  was  said  to  shine  and  illuminate  it 
at  every  part.  The  ancient  astronomers  must  have  been 
mistaken  or  else  the  circle  has  changed,  for  it  has  been 
found  by  accurate  measurement  that  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 
is  nearly  half  a degree  south  of  this  place. 

Nearly  opposite  Assuan  is  the  Island  of  Elephantine. 
Soon  after  our  boat  was  made  fast  at  the  landing-place  we 
entered  small  rowboats  and  crossed  to  the  island.  No 
sooner  had  we  landed  than  we  were  surrounded  with  itiner- 
ant merchants,  each  pressing  us  to  buy  his  wares.  So  per- 
sistent were  they  that  it  was  simply  impossible  for  us  to 
move.  Matcour  and  Gladius,  our  dragomen,  came  to  the 
rescue  and  drove  the  merchants  away  by  a vigorous  use  of 
their  heavy  whips;  but  they  returned  again  and  again,  and 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  2/7 

we  did  not  get  rid  of  them  until  we  entered  our  boats  again 
and  rowed  away  from  the  shore. 

On  the  island  is  an  ancient  Milometer  which  we  exam- 
ined with  interest.  It  is  used  to  ascertain  the  rise  of  the 
river.  St'aoo  says  of  it:  “The  Nilometer  is  a well  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Nile,  constructed  of  close-fitting  stones, 
on  which  are  marked  the  greatest,  least,  and  mean  risings 
of  the  Nile;  for  the  water  in  the  well  and  in  the  river  rises 
and  subsides  simultaneously.  Upon  the  wall  of  the  well 
are  lines  which  indicate  the  complete  rise  of  the  river,  and 
other  degrees  of  rising.  Those  who  examine  these  marks 
communicate  the  result  to  the  public  for  their  information. 
For  it  is  known  long  before,  by  these  marks,  and  by  the 
time  elapsed  from  the  commencement,  what  the  future  rise 
of  the  river  will  be,  and  notice  is  given  of  it.  This  informa- 
tion is  of  service  to  the  husbandmen  with  reference  to  the 
distribution  of  water;  for  the  purpose  also  of  attending  to 
the  embankments,  canals,  and  other  things  of  this  kind.  It 
is  also  of  use  to  the  governors,  who  fix  the  revenue;  for  the 
greater  the  rise  of  the  river,  the  greater  it  is  expected  will 
be  the  revenue.”  As  it  was  a thousand  years  ago,  so  to-day 
the  Nilometer  is  carefully  examined,  and  the  taxes  on  the 
land  are  fixed  according  to  the  rise  of  the  river. 

From  Assuan  to  Phils,  a distance  of  about  eight  miles, 
the  Egyptian  government  has  constructed  the  narrow 
gauge  railway  by  which  freight  and  passengers  are  carried 
around  the  first  cataract.  The  steamers  cannot  ascend  the 
rapids.  The  Elder  and  others  of  the  party,  who  are  to  go 
with  us  to  the  second  cataract,  prepare  to  take  the  train; 
but  the  writer,  having  so  much  of  that  kind  of  travel  at 
home,  decides  to  go  by  donkey.  It  is  a pleasant  and  com- 
fortable way  of  traveling,  and  then  one  likes  to  be  alone 
sometimes.  We  select  a trusty,  sure-footed  little  donkey 


2J8 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and,  with  a Nubian  boy  who  speaks  no  English,  set  out  very 
early  in  the  morning  on  our  ride.  We  ride  over  to  the 
granite  quarries,  and  spend  some  time  inspecting  the  work 
of  the  ancient  masons  and  stone-cutters.  From  the  records 
there  is  little  doubt  that  the  Pharaohs  sent  many  of  the 
sons  of  Jacob  here  to  cut  and  polish  stone  for  the  temples 
in  Lower  Egypt.  They  have  left  distinct  traces  of  their 
work  behind  them.  All  the  blocks  of  granite,  the  casing 
of  the  pyramids,  the  pillars,  columns,  obelisks  and  statues 
which  we  have  already  seen  came  from  this  quarry. 

The  method  in  which  the  blocks  were  quarried  out  one 
above  the  other  is  still  to  be  distinctly  seen  on  the  face  of 
the  cliff.  The  skill  with  which  huge  masses  of  granite  were 
detached  from  the  face  of  the  cliff  to  which  they  belonged 
and  handled  without  injury  is  absolutely  marvelous.  The 
obelisks  were  completely  finished  on  three  sides  before 
they  were  finally  detached  from  their  native  rock.  This 
was  done  by  boring  numerous  holes  along  a fixed  line  and 
then  driving  in  wooden  wedges  and  pouring  water  on  them. 
In  this  manner  the  great  masses  were  split  from  the  face 
of  the  cliff.  These  ancient  stone-cutters  also  understood 
the  art  of  splitting  stones  by  heat.* 

From  the  granite  quarries  we  ride  out  on  the  broad, 
sandy  desert  and  continue  our  journey  alone.  We  have  a 
delightful  ride  and  enjoy  the  solitude  of  the  sandy  waste. 
It  is  a time  for  thought  and  meditation,  and  who  will  be 
surprised  to  know  that  our  mind  is  not  in  the  desert,  but 
with  loved  ones  at  home!  Shall  we  be  permitted  to  see 
them  again?  God  knows.  To  him  we  commit  all  our 
ways  and  he  will  order  all  things  well. 

In  due  time  we  reach  the  landing-place  for  the  steam- 
ers, opposite  Philas,  where  the  steamer  Oonas  is  moored. 


* '•  Upper  Egypt,”  page  277. 


The  Island  of  Phil<c  and  its  Ruins. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


279 


She  is  to  take  our  little  party  to  Wady  Haifa  and  back. 
We  dismiss  donkey  and  boy  after  giving  the  latter  a couple 
of  piasters  as  backsheesh.  It  matters  not  that  a contract 
was  made  for  the  donkey  and  the  full  price  paid,  the  back- 
sheesh is  sure  to  be  demanded,  and  custom  has  made  a law 
which  says  it  must  be  paid.  The  working  of  the  oriental 
mind  in  regard  to  this  giving  of  money,  in  addition  to  the 
contrast,  is  peculiar.  On  one  occasion  we  made  a contract 
with  a guide  to  furnish  boat  and  donkeys  for  a certain 
price.  It  was  one  dollar  more  than  the  regular  price,  as  we 
afterwards  learned.  When  payment  was  made  the  back- 
sheesh was  demanded  and  had  to  be  paid. 

Between  Assuan  and  Philae  is  the  little  Island  of  Sehel, 
noted  for  the  numerous  inscriptions  found  on  the  granite 
rocks.  Here,  on  the  sixth  of  February,  1889,  Mr.  Wilbur 
was  fortunate  enough  to  find  an  important  granite  column 
nine  feet  high,  standing  above  the  water,  and  in  full  view 
when  one  is  going  toward  Philae.  On  it  is  an  inscription 
in  hieroglyphics,  consisting  of  thirty-two  lines,  which  form 
an  important  document.  It  contains  information  concern- 
ing a famine  which  lasted  seven  years,  and  was  occasioned 
by  the  failure  of  the  Nile  to  overflow  the  land.  The  sec- 
ond line  translated  reads  thus:  “ By  misfortune  the  very 
greatest;  the  Nile  has  not  come  forth  during  a period  of 
seven  years.  Scarce  was  grain,  lacking  was  vegetable  food. 
There  was  a dearth  of  everything  which  man  ate.”  The 
inscription  further  states  that  in  this  time  of  distress 
Pharaoh  sent  a messenger  to  the  governor  at  Philae,  telling 
him  of  the  famine  and  of  the  want  and  suffering  among  the 
people,  and  inquiring  about  the  source  of  the  Nile  and 
about  the  god  who  presided  over  it.  He  promised  to 
faithfully  worship  the  deity  of  the  Nile  if  he  would 
henceforth  make  the  waters  overflow  the  land  and  yield 


28C 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


full  harvest  again  to  the  people.  It  also  states  that 
after  the  return  of  the  messenger  to  the  king  he  immediate- 
ly ordered  rich  sacrifices  to  be  made  to  the  god  of  the  Nile 
and  decreed  that  tithes  of  all  that  grew  on  the  land  should 
be  sent  to  his  temple. 

Of  course  this  inscription  brings  to  mind  the  interpre- 
tation of  Pharaoh’s  dreams  by  Joseph.  He  foretold  the 
coming  of  the  years  of  great  plenty  and  the  years  of  fam- 
ine and  was  appointed  by  Pharaoh  to  lay  up  grain  against 
the  famine.  At  El  Kab  an  inscription  has  been  discovered 
which  doubtless  refers  to  these  years  of  famine.  The 
Pharaoh  for  whom  it  was  inscribed  by  Baba  speaks  thus: 

“I  loved  my  father;  I honored  my  mother;  my  broth- 
ers and  my  sisters  loved  me.  I went  out  of  the  door  of  my 
house  with  a benevolent  heart;  I stood  there  with  a re- 
freshing hand;  splendid  were  my  preparations  of  what  I 
collected  for  the  festal  day.  Mild  was  my  heart,  free  from 
violent  anger.  The  gods  bestowed  upon  me  abundant 
prosperity  on  earth.  The  city  wished  me  health  and  a life 

full  of  enjoyment My  words  may  seem  a jest 

to  a gainsayer.  But  I call  the  God  Mentre  to  witness  that 

what  I say  is  true I collected  corn  as  a friend 

of  the  harvest  God.  I zuas  watchfd  at  the  time  of  sowing. 
And  when  a famine  arose,  lasting  many  years,  I distribut- 
ed CORN  TO  THE  CITY  EACH  YEAR  OF  THE  FAMINE.” 

Of  this  remarkable  inscription  Brugsch  says:  “ Now, 
since  families  succeeding  one  another  are  of  the  very  great- 
est rarity  in  Egypt,  and  Baba  lived  and  worked  under  the 
native  King  Scqeuen  Ra  Taa  III,  in  the  ancient  city  of  El 
Kab,  about  the  same  time  during  which  Joseph  exercised 
his  office  under  one  of  the  Hyksos  kings,  there  remains,  for 
a satisfactory  conclusion,  but  one  fair  inference:  that  the 
‘ many  years  of famine'  in  the  inscription  must  correspond  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


28l 

the  seven  years  of  famine  under  Joseph’s  Pharaoh,  who  was 
one  of  the  shepherd  kings.” 

The  inscriptions  at  Sehel  and  El  Kab  may  or  may  not 
refer  to  the  famine  recorded  in  the  Bible,  with  which 
Joseph  and  his  brethren  were  so  closely  connected,  and 
which  had  such  a wonderful  influence  upon  their  lives. 
We  see  no  reason  why  the  conclusion  of  Brugsch  may  not 
be  correct,  and  yet,  if  it  is  not,  the  inscriptions  do  show 
that  the  Bible  narrative  is  fully  in  line  with  the  conditions 
which  existed  in  Egypt  at  the  time  the  account  was  writ- 
ten. Hidden  away  under  the  mud  of  the  Nile  or  the  shift- 
ing sands  of  the  desert,  for  thousands  of  years,  these 
evidences  of  the  truth  of  God’s  Book  are  being  brought  to 
light  to-day,  when  they  are  most  needed  to  meet  infidelity, 
and  we  may  expect  even  more  wonderful  results  in  the  fu- 
ture than  have  been  obtained  in  the  past. 


f 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


The  Oonas.  — Our  Party  for  the  Second  Cataract. — Abyssinian  Sol- 
diers.— The  Dervishes. — The  Land  of  Cush. — The  Nubians. — Curi- 
ous Fashions  and  Customs. — Making  Dough  for  Bread. — The 
Sacred  Crocodile. — Kalabshi  and  the  Tropic  of  Cancer. — Dekkeh. — 
Our  Boat  Aground. — Korosko. — General  Gordon. 

HE  steamer  Oonas  is  but  a small  stern-wheel  boat, 
with  accommodations  for  but  a very  few  passengers. 
Our  party  for  the  second  cataract  is  not  large,  but 
pleasant  and  companionable.  Among  the  number 
were  L.  D.  M.  Sweat  and  wife  of  Portland,  Maine,  an  ex- 
member of  Congress;  Mr.  Agnew,  an  English  gentleman; 
Judge  Lea  of  London,  and  an  Australian.  Going  on  board 
the  boat  we  noticed  a half  score  of  soldiers  with  arms  and 
accoutrements.  They  were  Abyssinians  in  the  service  of 
the  Egyptian  government.  They  were  fine,  soldierly- 
looking  men  with  skin  as  black  as  coal.  Their  faces  were 
deeply  scarred,  and  they  looked  fierce  and  warlike.  Our 
first  impression  on  seeing  them  was  that  we  were  taking  a 
squad  of  soldiers  to  join  their  comrades  at  Wady  Haifa, 
where  there  is  an  army  of  occupation;  but  we  had  not  gone 
far  before  we  learned  that  the  soldiers  were  sent  with  us  as 
a guard.  It  was  not  considered  safe  for  travelers  to  go  to 
the  second  cataract  without  having  such  a guard.  At  Cairo 
we  had  been  fully  assured  by  the  authorities  that  it  was  en- 
tirely safe  to  go  to  Wady  Haifa;  but  now  we  learned  that 
it  was  far  from  safe,  and  the  soldiers  on  board  the  boat  were 
a constant  reminder  that  we  were  in  an  enemy’s  country. 

282 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


283 


Had  we  known  of  the  dangers  of  the  trip,  our  journey 
would  have  ended  at  Assuan.  As  it  was  we  were  steaming 
southward  to  Wady  Haifa  and  must  make  the  best  of  the 
situation. 

Since  1885,  when  General  Gordon  and  his  men  were 
massacred  at  Khartoum,  the  followers  of  the  Mahdi,  as 
their  false  prophet  is  called,  nave  made  raids  on  the  en- 
campments along  the  upper  Nile.  Only  two  weeks  before 
we  made  our  trip  a band  of  these  warlike  Dervishes  made 
an  approach  at  Wady  Haifa,  killed  about  one  hundred  men 
and  then  escaped  into  the  desert.  They  know  the  desert 
so  well  that  escape  for  them  is  easy.  Pursuit  is  almost  use- 
less, for  it  is  impossible  for  an  army  to  march  across  these 
sandy  plains.  This  accounts  for  the  unsafe  condition  of 
the  Nile  between  the  first  and  second  cataracts  and  for  the 
soldiers  on  board  our  little  steamer.  The  men  were  well 
armed  and  looked  as  if  they  would  be  able  to  repel  an  at- 
tack; but  we  hoped  we  might  be  allowed  to  finish  our  jour- 
ney in  peace.  We  could  not,  however,  free  ourselves  from 
more  or  less  anxiety. 

From  the  first  cataract  southward  the  valley  of  the 
Niie  narrows,  and  at  many  places  the  river  is  shut  in  by  the 
rocky  cliffs  on  either  side.  At  other  places  the  yellow 
sand  of  the  desert  comes  down  to  the  very  banks  of  the 
stream,  leaving  on  the  steep  side  of  the  bank  only  the  nar- 
row strip  which  is  cultivated.  The  farmers  here  plant  their 
lentils  and  beans  down  the  steep  bank  to  the  very  water’s 
edge.  As  the  water  recedes,  they  follow  it  with  a succes- 
sion of  plantings.  Strip  after  strip  of  wheat,  barley,  lentils 
and  beans  is  thus  planted,  and  while  the  upper  strip  is  blos- 
soming and  throwing  out  heads,  the  one  next  the  river  is 
just  coming  through  the  ground  and  putting  forth  the  first 
blades.  Between  the  upper  and  lower  strip  are  all  the  in- 


284 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


termediate  degrees  of  growth.  The  banks  of  the  river, 
where  they  are  thus  cultivated,  present  a very  beautiful  ap- 
pearance, being  in  many  places  covered  with  rich  green  to 
the  very  edge  of  the  water. 

The  population  is  scanty.  There  are  said  to  be  about 
fo.ur  thousand  inhabitants  between  the  first  and  second  cat- 
aract. The  narrow  strip  of  soil  is  wonderfully  productive, 
but  artificial  irrigation  is  mere  needful  than  in  Lower  Egypt, 
and  the  sakkieh  and  shaduf  are  to  be  seen  all  along  the  riv- 
er banks.  At  one  place,  standing  on  the  stern  of  the 
Oonas,  we  counted  no  less  than  twenty-three  sakkiehs  in 
operation  at  one  time.  The  Nubians  are  profuse  in  the  use 
of  castor  oil  on  their  persons,  but  do  not  seem  to  think  it  at 
all  necessary  to  oil  the  bearings  of  their  creaking  water- 
wheels. The  creaking  and  groanings  of  a dozen  sakkiehs, 
interspersed  with  the  mournful  and  monotonous  song  of 
the  fathers  of  the  shaduf,  may  be  heard  day  and  night 
along  the  Nile  in  Nubia.  After  spending  a sleepless  night 
or  two  on  account  of  the  creaking  wheels  the  sound  be- 
comes anything  but  musical  to  our  ears. 

The  landscape  changes  and  assumes  a more  tropical 
appearance  as  we  journey  southward.  The  doom  palm 
which  we  first  saw  at  Thebes  is  now  quite  common.  Fields 
of  cotton,  sugar  cane  and  other  tropical  products  line  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  such  is  the  wonderful  fertility  of  the 
soil  that  by  proper  irrigation  it  produces  three  harvests  a 
year.  Little  cultivation  is  needed.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren work  in  the  fields,  the  men  are  either  at  work  raising 
the  water  from  the  river  or  lounging  beneath  the  shade  of 
the  palms.  At  noonday  the  rays  of  the  sun  beat  down  up- 
on us  with  great  force,  and  it  is  as  warm  here  in  the  middle 
of  January  as  it  is  at  home  in  July  and  August.  We  won- 
der what  the  heat  must  be  in  midsummer. 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


285 


We  are  now  in  the  land  of  Cush  and  Ethiopia  of  the 
Bible.  In  more  recent  times  it  has  been,  and  is  still,  called 
Nubia.  We  are  really  in  Africa.  There  can  be  no  mistake, 
for  the  Ethiopian  cannot  change  his  skin,  and  he  bears  the 
same  color  to-day  that  he  had  when  the  Bible  was  written. 
Then  here  are  the  dome-shaped  huts  with  which  Stanley’s 
pictures  have  made  us  familiar.  Occasionally  we  see  a na- 
tive in  the  picturesque  Nubian  costume  with  spear  in  hand. 
He  looks  fierce  enough,  with  frightful  scars  on  his  face,  but 
he  is  bent  on  a peaceful  mission.  He  wants  to  exchange 
his  spear  for  a few  silver  shillings,  the  value  of  which  lie 
has  learned. 

The  Bible  frequently  makes  mention  of  Nubia,  or  Ethi- 
opia, as  it  was  then  known.  Job,  speaking  of  the  priceless 
value  of  wisdom,  says,  “The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  shall  not 
equal  it,”*  and  the  Psalmist  says  that  “Ethiopia  shall 
stretch  out  her  hands  to  God.”  f May  not  this  prophecy 
have  been  literally  fulfilled  in  the  conversion  and  baptism 
of  “a  man  of  Ethiopia,  an  eunuch  of  great  authority  under 
Candace  queen  of  Ethiopia”  J by  Philip?  Speaking  of 
Thebes,  at  that  time  the  great  capital  city  of  Egypt,  the 
prophet  also  says,  “ Ethiopia  and  Egypt  were  her 
strength.”  § Then,  too,  Ezekiel  prophesies  against  Ethio- 
pia, declaring  that  there  shall  be  great  pain  in  that  coun- 
try, that  the  people  shall  be  slain,  and  that  desolation  shall 
come  upon  her. |]  The  words  of  the  prophet  have  been  lit- 
erally fulfilled,  for  Ethiopia  is  desolate  and  the  very  name 
of  the  country  has  been  changed. 

Though  Nubia  did  not  form  a part  of  Egypt  proper, 
yet,  at  the  present  day,  it  more  closely  resembles  the 
Egypt  of  the  Pharaohs  than  does  the  region  of  the  lower 


*Job  28:  19. 
gNahum  3:  9. 


fPsalms  68:  31. 
||Ezek.  30:  4,  7. 


JActs  8:  27. 


286 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Nile.  Cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world  by  the  cataract  on 
the  north,  and  by  the  desert  on  the  east  and  west,  its  popu- 
lation has  been  kept  pure  from  the  intermixture  of  foreign 
blood,  and  its  manners  and  customs  have  remained  almost 
unchanged.  Faces  are  depicted  on  the  monuments  which 
might  pass  for  portraits  of  those  we  see  around  us.  The 
contour  of  the  features  is  precisely  the  same.  This  likeness 
is  rendered  more  obvious  by  a similarity  in  the  mode  of 
dressing  the  hair,  which  is  arranged  in  small  corkscrew 
curls,  kept  close  to  the  head  by  saturation  with  castor  oil. 
The  necklace,  earrings  and  bracelets  are  the  same  as  those 
worn  three  thousand  years  ago.  In  any  Nubian  hut  may 
be  found  wooden  pillows  or  head-rests  whose  form  is  abso- 
lutely undistinguishable  from  that  of  those  to  be  seen  in  the 
British  Museum,  brought  there  from  the  Theban  tombs.* 

The  wonderful  likeness  between  the  Nubians  of  to-day 
and  those  whose  faces  were  chiseled  on  the  walls  of  the 
temples  thirty-five  centuries  ago  was  illustrated  at  the  tem- 
ple at  Abou  Simbel  in  Nubia.  One  of  our  attendants  who 
carried  a torch  stood  by  our  side  while  we  examined  the 
faces  on  the  wall.  The  faces  on  the  wall  at  one  or  two 
places  bore  such  a striking  likeness  to  the  torch-bearer  at 
our  side  that  we  felt  for  a moment  that  one  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians  stood  by  our  side. 

At  Kalabshi  there  is  a large  Nubian  village  and  we  go 
ashore  to  study  the  home  life  of  the  Ethiopian  and  Cushite. 
They  are  quite  friendly  and  treat  us  with  a courtesy  hard- 
ly to  be  expected.  The  pests  of  all  warm  climates,  the 
vermin,  fairly  revel  in  these  African  huts.  We  walk 
through  the  dirty,  narrow  streets,  go  into  the  huts  and  see 
the  Nubian  at  home.  Their  houses  are  entirely  devoid  of 
carpet.  They  sleep  on  the  ground;  and  squatting  around  a 


* '•  The  Land  of  the  Pharaohs,”  page  154. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


287 


large,  earthen  bowl,  filled  with  porridge  made  of  lentils  or 
beans,  with  a bit  of  cake  in  their  hands,  they  eat  their  scan- 
ty meals.  Spoons  are  useless  when  fingers  are  sc  handy. 
They  all  dip  into  the  same  dish,  and  are  not  so  particular 
as  to  a little  dirt.  Fire,  except  for  cooking,  is  not  used.  It 
is  so  warm  even  in  midwinter  that  there  is  no  necessity  for 
it.  The  women  wear  the  nose-ring,  which  looks  odd 
enough,  but  they  seem  to  be  equally  surprised  to  see  our 
ladies  with  rings  in  their  ears.  It  is  a mere  matter  of  taste 
and  fashion  after  all. 

Clothing  is  not  a question  of  much  concern  among 
them.  The  men  who  work  in  the  field  and  at  the  shaduf 
lay  off  the  shirt-like  outer  garment  and  wear  only  the  cloth 
folded  and  wrapped  about  the  loins.  The  women  wear  a 
sort  of  tunic,  something  like  a large  sheet  folded  about  the 
body  and  looped  up  on  the  shoulders,  leaving  the  arms 
bare.  Children  go  unclothed,  but  as  they  grow  older  wear 
a short,  fringed  skirt  of  leather,  cut  into  strips  and  deco- 
rated with  beads  and  cowry  shells,  tied  about  the  loins. 

In  our  walk  through  the  village  we  saw  a woman  pre- 
paring dough,  to  be  made  into  thin  cakes  and  baked  on  flat 
stones  which  had  been  heated  in  the  fire.  She  had  in  front 
of  her  a flat  stone  about  two  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide, 
which  constant  use  had  worn  quite  smooth  and  slightly  hol- 
low in  the  middle.  In  her  hand  she  held  a flint  stone,  flat- 
tened on  the  under  side,  and  at  her  side  stood  a small 
basket  of  beans  and  a jar  of  water.  At  one  end  of  the 
stone  was  laid  a piece  of  dirty  palm  matting  on  which  the 
dough  fell.  Near  this  a few  live  embers  kept  a little  smoke 
rising  over  the  stone.  She  put  a handful  of  the  small 
beans  on  the  stone,  and  then,  dipping  her  hand  into  the 
dish,  let  the  water  drop  on  the  beans.  Grasping  the  smaller 
stone  with  both  hands  she  rubbed  the  mass,  adding  a little 


288 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


water  occasionally,  until  it  was  converted  into  a coarse 
paste.  Then  she  put  on  more  beans  and  water  and  contin- 
ued the  process  until  she  had  a sufficient  quantity  of  dough 
for  the  meal.  The  smoke  is  intended  to  keep  away  the 
flies  and  other  insects,  but  we  noticed  that  a number  of  flies 
ventured  too  close  and  were  mercilessly  crushed  by  the  re- 
lentless stone. 

A small  coin  as  backsheesh  gave  us  the  privilege  of 
trying  our  hand  at  the  rubbing  and  grinding  process.  We 
found  that  it  required  much  hard  work  and  some  skill  to 
grind  the  beans  in  this  way.  It  took  but  a small  amount  of 
exercise  of  this  kind  to  gratify  our  curiosity,  and  we  retired 
amidst  the  suppressed  laughter  of  the  men,  women  and 
children  who  had  gathered  about  us  and  who  doubtless  pit- 
ied our  ignorance,  since  we  did  not  know  enough  to  crush 
beans  as  the  women  of  Ethiopia  do. 

The  people  seem  to  be  contented  with  their  lot  and  are 
light-hearted  and  happy.  At  least  it  seemed  so  to  us.  We 
cannot  refrain  from  quoting  Mr.  Hapley’s  description  of 
the  Nubians.  He  had  landed  from  a Nile  boat  and  was  ly- 
ing beneath  the  shade  of  a grove  of  palm  trees.  lie  says: 
“A  mother  and  two  children — a chubby,  unclad  urchin  of 
two  or  three,  and  an  elder  sister — entered  from  the  outer 
glare  and  squatted  down  in  the  golden  light  filtering  from 
above  on  the  sandy  area  of  the  grove.  They  could  not 
have  traveled  far,  for  they  came  in  so  gladsome  and  fresh. 
The  daughter,  a fine  grown  girl  of  eleven,  ran  off  to  the 
well  and  tripped  back  playfully,  with  one  hand  daintily 
steadying  an  earthen  bowl,  dripping  over  with  grateful 
drink.  Her  mother  awaited  it,  with  her  back  against  a 
palm  tree.  How  these  Nubian  faces  flash  out  at  times  an 
intelligence  that  no  one  would  give  them  credit  for!  This 
woman,  under  thirty  perhaps,  yet  already  old  and  wrinkled, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


289 


might  have  been  handsome  enough  once,  but  her  face  was 
dull  and  stolid — of  the  earth  earthy.  Yet  as  she  sat  there, 
straining  her  little  blackamoor  to  her  breast,  the  soul  came 
up  in  her  face  and  she  looked  positively  beautiful.  It  was 
like  lighting  the  candle  within  the  lantern.  She  wore  a tu- 
nic of  camel’s-hair  fabric,  Nubian  fashion,  looped  up  on 
each  shoulder,  leaving  the  arms  bare.  It  had  more  the  cut 
of  the  Greek  palla,  than  the  skirt  of  the  Egyptian  fellah — 
a kind  of  extra  fold  falling  from  the  neck  to  the  waist. 
The  daughter,  a pretty  little  girl,  lithesome  and  shapely, 
you  might  have  taken  her  for  a dryad  of  the  woods.  She 
romped  free  in  the  changing,  leafy  light  of  this  copse  as  if 
her  life  were  all  play.  There  was  something  so  gracious 
and  winsome  about  her  that  you  could  not  find  heart  to 
cavil.  Yet  her  hair  was  reeking  with  castor  oil,  and  I am 
afraid  the  gloss  on  her  supple  limbs  was  attributable  to  the 
same  unguent.  She  seemed  almost  perfect  in  form;  and 
the  hair  in  question,  which  hung  in  a hundred  little  plaits 
about  her  shoulders,  shortened  in  a line  across  her  fore- 
head, framed  a face  of  which  the  big  black  eyes,  pouted  lip 
and  placid  mien,  seemed  an  echo  of  those  sweet  faces  you 
see  pictured  in  the  old  tombs — an  echo  from  a far  back 
world.  Her  sole  dress,  save  a necklace  or  two  of  beads, 
was  a short  petticoat  of  tiny  strips  of  leather,  a kind  of 
fringe  decked  out  coquettishly  with  a multitude  of  cowry 
shells  and  glass  beads,  all  of  which  tinkled  merrily  as  she 
skipped  along.  You  could  not,  for  the  life  of  you,  call  it 
an  immodest  costume,  the  thing  wras  so  natural  and  inno- 
cent. Indeed,  until  the  girls  marry,  such  is  their  only  dress 
save  a light  veil  thrown  over  the  head  against  the  sun.” 

We  saw  many  living  pictures  of  this  kind,  save  that 
many  otherwise  really  handsome  faces,  among  both  men 
and  women,  were  frightfully  scarred.  The  Nubians  seem 


290 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


to  think  that  a scar  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  face.  Two  or 
three  cuts  are  made  on  either  cheek  and  they  are  kept  open 
while  healing  so  that  great  scars  are  the  result.  It  is  sin- 
gular what  custom  and  fashion  will  do  for  a people.  In  this 
respect,  many  civilized  nations  are  not  far  removed  from 
these  half-civilized  tribes  of  Africa.  In  Germany  a scarred 
face  is  regarded  as  a sign  of  bravery,  and  the  students  cut 
each  other’s  faces  in  their  so-called  duels  and  the  wound  is 
so  manipulated  as  to  produce  an  ugly  scar.  In  our  own 
country  fashion’s  demands  are  obeyed.  Our  women  de- 
form themselves  by  tight  lacing,  wear  huge  deformities  on 
their  persons  and  no  matter  how  peculiar  or  ridiculous  a 
fashion  may  be  it  must  be  followed.  We  are  glad  to  know 
that  there  are  some  among  us  who  will  not  bow  to  the  com- 
mands of  the  tyrant  fashion,  some  who  think  for  them- 
selves, and  have  independence  of  character  enough  to  act 
for  themselves. 

Crocodiles  are  still  to  be  seen  between  the  first  and  sec- 
ond cataracts;  but  since  the  introduction  of  steamboats  be- 
tween Philae  and  Wady  Haifa  they  are  becoming  quite  rare 
indeed.  We  see  several  on  our  voyage  up  the  river.  Seen 
in  the  distance,  they  resemble  a log  of  the  palm  tree  more 
than  anything  else.  As  the  steamer  approaches  them  they 
slide  down  the  muddy  bank  and  disappear  beneath  the  wa- 
ter. In  ancient  times  these  huge  animals  abounded  in  the 
waters  of  the  Nile  and  such  were  their  size  and  strength 
that  many  of  the  natives  were  destroyed  by  them.  The  an- 
cient Egyptians  worshiped  the  crocodile,  and  these  danger- 
ous and  voracious  monsters  were  carefully  fed  and  tended 
in  Lak  Moeris,  and  held  to  be  sacred  by  the  people.  When 
they  died  their  bodies  were  carefully  embalmed  and  laid 
away  in  costly  tombs. 


Crocodiles  on  tke  Upper  Nile. 


292  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

On  our  journey  southward  from  the  first  cataract  we 
pass  our  first  night  at  Kalabshi,  where  the  boat  is  tied  to 
stakes  driven  deep  into  the  soft  banks  of  the  river.  The 
town,  a mere  Nubian  mud  village,  stands  immediately  on 
the  Tropic  of  Cancer.  Here,  on  the  longest  day  of  the 
year  (June  21),  at  noon,  an  object  casts  no  shadow,  as  the 
rays  of  the  sun  fall  upon  the  earth  in  a straight  line.  At 
Kalabshi  a temple  was  built,  B.  C.  1600,  and  the  ruins  of  a 
later  building  on  the  old  foundation  are  still  to  be  seen. 
The  natives  have  built  their  mud  huts  all  around  and  about 
the  ruins.  The  contrast  between  the  ancient  temple  walls, 
the  massive  columns  and  the  great  doorways  and  the  mud 
huts  is  at  once  striking  and  novel.  The  outer  temple  wall 
is  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long  and  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  feet  wide.  The  ruins  are  in  a fair  state  of 
preservation,  but  the  doorway  is  blocked  with  huge  stones. 

In  the  interior  of  the  temple  are  two  inscriptions,  one 
in  Greek  and  the  other  in  the  Ethiopian  demotic  characters, 
which  has  not  yet  been  deciphered.  The  following  is  the 
translation  of  the  first:  “ I Silko,  sub-king  of  the  Nobades 
and  all  Ethiopians,  came  twice  to  Kalabshi  and  Tafeh.  I 
fought  against  the  Blemmyes  and  God  gave  me  victory 
over  them,  three  to  one.  Again  I conquered  and  took  pos- 
session of  their  cities,  I fortified  myself  there  with  my 
troops,  I overcame  them  and  they  sued  to  me.  I made 
peace  with  them  and  they  sware  to  me  by  the  images  of 
their  gods,  and  I trusted  their  oath,  for  they  were  brave 
men.  I ascended  once  more  into  the  upper  districts. 
Since  I am  sub-king,  I go  no  longer  after  other  kings  but 
before  them.  And  those  who  seek  to  strive  with  me,  I do 
not  allow  to  remain  in  their  land  unless  they  beg  for  par- 
don from  me,  for  in  the  lower  districts  I am  a lion,  and  in 
the  upper  districts  a bear,  I fought  again  with  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


293 


Blemmyes  from  Primis  to  Talmis.  And  I laid  waste  the 
other  districts,  the  upper  Nobad  regions,  when  they  sought 
to  strive  with  me.  The  rulers  of  the  other  peoples,  who 
seek  to  strive  with  me,  I do  not  allow  to  seat  themselves  in 
the  shade,  if  they  do  not  bow  before;  and  they  may  not 
drink  wine  in  their  house.  For  whosoever  raise  themselves 
up  against  me,  them  I deprive  of  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren.”* 

We  are  followed  to  and  from  and  about  the  temple 
by  a number  of  men  and  boys.  The  women  are  at  work 
in  the  fields  and  about  their  houses.  Some  of  those  who 
follow  us  offer  to  sell  beads,  doom  palms,  dates  and  other 
articles.  Others  bring  baskets  filled  with  eggs,  offering 
them  for  sale  to  our  cook  and  steward.  A purchase  is 
made  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  hundred,  about 
the  same  amount  that  we  pay  per  dozen  at  home  during  the 
winter  season.  Notwithstanding  their  disposition  to  sell  to 
us,  they  do  not  appear  to  be  very  friendly.  One  of  the 
men  has  a heavy  African  war  club,  made  of  ebony.  It  is  a 
fine  specimen  and  attracts  the  attention  of  several  of  our 
party.  Evidently  the  Nubian  has  no  desire  to  part  with  his 
weapon  of  defense,  for  he  asks  a price  for  it  that  is  more 
than  five  times  its  real  value;  and  although  he  is  offered  a 
handsome  price  for  it  he  persistently  refuses  to  let  it  go. 

Nubia  has  an  abundance  of  ruined  temples,  but  we  vis- 
it only  a few  of  the  most  interesting.  At  Dekkeh  we  stop 
for  a short  time  and  walk  a short  distance  across  the  desert 
to  the  ruins  of  a temple  visible  from  the  boat.  Before  go- 
ing ashore  our  Abyssinian  guard  equip  themselves  and 
march  out  before  us.  The  natives  seem  friendly  enough, 
but  doubtless  our  guard  has  a restraining  influence  upon 
them. 


♦“Upper  Egypt,”  pages  308,  309. 


294 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  temple  at  Dekkeh  was  built  by  Erganum,  an  Ethi- 
opian monarch,  who  broke  through  the  barbarous  custom 
of  his  race  and  set  at  defiance  the  tyranny  of  the  priests. 
DEdorus  tells  us  that  up  to  this  time  the  priests  had  al- 
ways Eformed  the  king  when  the  time  had  arrived  for  him 
to  die,  w hereupon,  in  obedience  to  their  commands,  he  slew 
himself.  This  strange  custom  seems  to  have  grown  out  of 
a feeling  like  that  which  prevailed  among  our  Norse  ances- 
tors, that  it  was  disgraceful  for  a warrior  to  die  from  dis- 
ease or  old  age,  and  the  sagas  record  several  instances  of 
aged  chiefs  rushing  into  certain  death  to  escape  so  dishon- 
orable an  end.  Wilkinson  points  out  that  a similar  custom 
yet  exists  amongst  certain  races  which  lie  farther  to  the 
south.  Erganum,  having  received  the  intimation  that  the 
time  had  come  for  him  to  die,  not  only  refused  to  obey  the 
priests,  but,  collecting  his  troops,  marched  to  the  temple, 
slew  them,  and  effected  a reform  of  the  entire  system.  Pie 
clearly  distinguishes  between  submission  to  the  priests  and 
reverence  for  the  gods,  for  he  is  represented  on  the  walls  of 
the  temple  as  making  the  accustomed  offerings  to  the  dei- 
ties, and  the  usual  cartouches  declare  that  he  was  “ protect- 
ed by  Ammon,”  “the  chosen  of  Ra,”  and  “the  beloved  of 
Isis.”* 

The  people  at  the  village  of  Dekkeh  are  among  the 
first  dwellers  that  we  meet  in  the  torrid  zone.  They  are 
dark  brown  in  color,  several  shades  darker  than  the  Egyp- 
tians and  not  so  black  as  the  negro.  In  appearance  they 
are  rather  fine-looking,  and  among  the  young  people  ore 
sees  some  faces  that  might  be  called  handsome;  but  they 
age  early  and  are  then  far  from  good-looking.  The  inevi- 
table scar  on  the  cheeks,  the  wrinkles  and  the  lack  of  intel- 
ligence in  the  eyes  and  face  are  not  conducive  to  beauty. 


♦■‘The  Land  of  the  Pharaohs,”  page  155. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


295 


The  women  are  tall,  straight  and  well  formed,  the  result  of 
the  custom  of  carrying  burdens  on  their  heads  from  child- 
hood. They  are  not  burdened  with  heavy  clothing  and 
have  the  free  use  of  their  limbs.  Here,  too,  the  nose  is 
pierced  and  large  metal  rings  depend  from  the  side  of  that 
organ.  When  the  ring  is  not  in  its  place  the  hole  is  filled 
by  pushing  a white  bead  into  it.  The  bead  looks  very 
white  in  its  dark  setting.  The  children  are  entirely  nude 
and  the  care  of  their  wardrobe  is  reduced  to  the  minimum. 
They  look  like  little  bronze  statues  as  they  stand  at  a safe 
distance  watching  us.  The  girls  of  nine  years  and  upwards 
wear  an  apron  made  of  fringed  leather  and  decorated  with 
cowry  shells  and  beads.  It  is  curiously  enough  called 
“ Madame  Nubia,”  and  is  worn  about  the  loins  and  consti- 
tutes their  only  garment. 

Of  this  garment  Miss  Edwards  says:  “ Having  seen  a 
similar  fringe  in  the  collection  of  a friend  at  home,  I at 
once  recognized  in  ‘Madame  Nubia’  one  of  those  curious 
girdles  which,  with  the  addition  of  a necklace  and  a few 
bracelets,  form  the  entire  wardrobe  of  little  girls  south  of 
the  cataract.  They  vary  in  size  according  to  the  age  of  the 
wearer;  the  largest  being  about  twelve  inches  in  depth  and 
twenty-five  in  length.  A few  are  ornamented  with  beads 
and  small  shells;  but  these  are  the  exception.  The  ordi- 
nary article  is  cheaply  and  unpretentiously  trimmed  with 
castor  oil;  that  is  to  say,  the  girdle  when  new  is  well  soaked 
in  the  oil,  which  softens  and  darkens  the  leather,  besides 
adding  a perfume  dear  to  native  nostrils.  For  to  the  Nu- 
bian, who  grows  his  own  plants  and  bruises  his  own  berries, 
this  odor  is  delicious.  He  reckons  castor  oil  as  among  his 
greatest  luxuries.  He  eats  it  as  we  eat  butter.  His  wives 
saturate  their  plaited  locks  with  it.  His  little  girls  perfume 
their  fringes  with  it.  His  boys  anoint  their  bodies  with  it. 


2g6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


His  home,  his  breath,  his  food  are  redolent  of  it.  It  per- 
vades the  very  air  in  which  he  lives  and  has  his  being. 
Happy  the  traveler  who,  while  his  lines  are  cast  in  Nubia, 
can  train  his  degenerate  nose  to  delight  in  the  aroma  ol 
castor  oil.”* 


Nubian  Mud  Huts. 


In  the  village,  made  up  of  mud  huts,  we  noticed  wom- 
en pounding  and  rubbing  lentils  until  a dough  was  formed 
which,  when  baked  and  dipped  in  castor  oil,  is  esteemed  a 
great  luxury.  The  huts  are  as  entirely  devoid  of  anything 
to  make  them  comfortable  as  it  is  possible  to  make  them, 
and  yet  the  people  who  live  in  them  seem  to  be  happy  and 
contented.  We  wonder  whether  our  boasted  civilization, 
with  the  rum  and  whisky  that  follow  it,  would  not  make 
them,  in  the  end,  worse  off  than  they  now  are. 

The  people  at  Dekkeh  are  not  given  to  selling  relics. 
Some  of  the  girls  offer  us  agates  which  they  have  picked  up 
on  the  desert,  but  they  are  shy  and  if  spoken  to  or  ap- 


*“  A Thousand  Miles  up  the  Nile,”  page  176. 


WANDERINGS  IN  13IBLE  LANDS. 


297 


proached  run  away.  One  holds  up  in  her  hand  a string  of 
beads  and  when  she  receives  a small  coin  in  exchange  for 
it  runs  away  laughing,  seeming  to  enjoy  her  success  in 
making  a sale. 

When  we  reached  Dckkeh  our  pilot  ran  the  boat 
ashore  with  considerable  force,  and  when  we  were  ready  to 
leave  the  landing-place  it  was  found  that  the  Oonas  was 
firmly  grounded  in  the  Nile  mud.  The  engine  was  reversed, 
but  the  full  power  of  our  motive  force  failed  to  move  the 
boat,  even  when  seconded  by  the  efforts  of  all  hands 
aboard.  There  was  shouting  and  pushing  with  poles  and  a 
rushing  of  the  boat’s  wheel  in  the  water,  but  all  in  vain. 
The  boat  did  not  move  an  inch.  Then  it  was  decided  to 
call  on  the  men  of  the  village  to  help  us.  A runner  was 
sent  out  and  in  about  half  an  hour  some  twenty  men  ar- 
rived. The  women  and  children  came  too  and,  squatted  on 
the  bank,  silently  watched  the  proceedings.  The  men  wad- 
ed into  the  water  and  there  was  much  shouting  and  push- 
ing, but  the  result  was  that  the  little  steamer  moved  not. 
More  men  came;  there  was  more  pushing  and  shouting,  the 
paddle  wheel  was  reversed  at  full  speed,  but  the  united  ef- 
forts failed  to  move  the  boat.  Trial  after  trial  was  made, 
but  with  all  the  pushing  and  shouting  the  Oonas  remained 
firmly  fixed  in  her  bed  of  mud. 

The  situation  now  began  to  look  serious.  Several 
hours  had  passed  away  and  the  prospects  for  getting  away 
from  Dekkeh  were  not  very  bright.  Then  it  was  suggested 
that  a windlass  be  rigged  on  the  bow.  of  the  boat,  and  an 
anchor  with  a rope  attached  to  it  be  thrown  into  the  river 
at  some  distance  from  the  shore.  After  some  delay  this 
was  done  and  the  end  of  the  rope  was  attached  to  the  wind- 
lass on  the  steamer,  and  then,  by  turning  the  windlass,  if  the 
anchor  held,  the  boat  would  be  dragged  off  the  bank  of 


The  Nile  above  the  First  Cataract. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


299 


mud.  We  watched  the  proceedings  with  a good  deal  of  in- 
terest. Would  the  anchor  hold?  If  not,  the  chances  were 
good  for  us  to  remain  at  Dekkeh  for  some  time.  Finally 
the  anchor  held,  the  rope  tightened,  and  slowly  we  began 
to  move.  The  Nubians  dashed  into  the  water  with  a great 
shout,  and  putting  hands  and  shoulders  to  the  side  of  the 
boat  pushed  with  all  their  strength,  at  the  same  time  shout- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices.  In  a few  minutes  more  the 
Oonas  swung  out  into  the  stream.  A liberal  backsheesh 
was  distributed  among  the  Nubians,  we  hoisted  our  anchor 
and  steamed  southward  again. 

At  Korosko  we  stopped  again.  Going  ashore  we 
passed  through  an  Ethiopian  village  and  climbed  to  the 
top  of  a mountain  called  Awas  el-Guarani,  from  the  top  of 
which  was  had  a fine  view  of  the  beautiful  Nile  valley  on 
the  one  side  and  the  desert  on  the  other. 

Until  the  fall  of  Khartoum  Korosko  was  the  chief 
starting  point  for  all  the  caravans  going  to  Abou  Hamed. 
The  Nile  makes  a sweeping  curve  and  by  crossing  the  des- 
ert at  this  place  the  distance  is  not  only  shortened  but  the 
three  upper  cataracts,  which  are  not  navigable  when  the  riv- 
er is  low,  are  avoided.  Here  General  Gordon  left  the  river 
and  crossed  the  desert  on  his  last  fatal  journey  to  Khar- 
toum in  1884.  Having  reached  his  journey’s  end  he  held 
his  own  against  the  Mahdi  for  some  time,  but  the  place  was 
finally  taken  and  the  brave  man  and  his  followers  were  put 
to  death.  No  one  escaped  to  tell  the  sad  story. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Rameses  the  Great  Builder. — A bou  Simbel. — The  Colossi. — The  Great 
Temple. — An  Immense  Picture.— Sunset  on  the  Mountains. — The 
Southern  Cross. — The  Smaller  Temple. — Pharaoh  and  his  Queen. 
— The  Battle  with  the  Hittites. 


^AMESES  II,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression,  was  a 
great  builder  as  well  as  a great  statesman  and  gen- 
eral. He  did  not  confine  his  building  operations 
to  Egypt  proper,  but  dotted  Nubia  with  magnificent  tem- 
ples, on  the  walls  of  which  are  recorded  in  extravagant 
terms  the  deeds  of  the  greatest  egotist  the  world  has 
known.  He  not  only  built  new  temples,  but  used  those  of 
his  predecessors,  upon  the  walls  of  which  he  recorded  his 
victories  and  celebrated  his  glories.  He  even  went  so  far 
as  to  appropriate  the  statues  of  some  of  the  Pharaohs  who 
preceded  him,  and  had  his  sculptors  change  the  features  of 
his  fathers  for  those  of  his  own.  The  names  of  the  kings 
whom  the  statues  originally  represented  were  chiseled  off 
and  replaced  by  the  name  of  the  praise-loving  ruler.  1 1 is 
idea  was,  that  a statue,  to  fully  represent  his  greatness, 
must  be  colossal  in  its  size,  and  this  idea  he  carried  out 
most  fully  at  Abou  Simbel  in  Nubia. 

Sailing  up  the  Nile  a distance  of  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty miles  from  Philae,  we  see  in  the  distance  the  dim  outline 
of  a mountain  range.  A nearer  approach  shows  that  the 
bluff  comes  close  to  the  river,  and  here  we  have  the  temple 
of  Abou  Simbel.  The  face  of  the  mountain  has  been  hewn 
away  and  smoothed  to  a depth  of  one  hundred  and  nine- 

300 


Front  of  the  Great  Rock-cut  Temple  at  A bon  Simbel. 


302 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


teen  feet,  forming  the  front  of  the  temple,  which  is  one 
hundred  and  five  feet  high.  In  cutting  away  the  cliff,  the 
face  of  the  mountain  was  carved  into  four  gigantic  statues 
of  the  king.  They  are  seated  on  thrones  with  their  backs 
against  the  mountain.  “These  granite  warders,  hewn  out 
of  the  living  rock,  keep  watch  at  the  portal  of  the  temple, 
seated  in  solemn  majesty  as  they  have  sat  for  nearly  four 
thousand  years.”  The  guidebooks  give  the  following  di- 
mensions of  the  statues:  “Their  total  height  is  sixty-six 
feet  without  the  pedestal;  the  ear  measures  three  feet  and 
five  inches;  from  the  inner  side  of  the  elbow-joint  to  the 
end  of  the  middle  finger  the  distance  is  fifteen  feet.” 
These  figures  give  but  an  inadequate  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  these  wonderful  statues  bearing  the  features  of  the 
Pharaoh  who  oppressed  God’s  people. 

The  symmetry  and  beauty  of  the  figures  are  as  remark- 
able as  their  great  size.  The  limbs  and  head  are  well  pro- 
portioned. The  coarseness  and  rudeness  of  finish  usually 
associated  with  statues  of  great  size  are  not  to  be  seen  in 
these  mountain-like  figures.  Notwithstanding  the  enor- 
mous scale  on  which  they  are  cut,  the  effect  is  quite  natu- 
ral and  successful.  The  features  are  delicately  wrought,  the 
expression  of  the  face  is  kindly  and  pleasant.  One  writer 
says:  “They  are  unique  in  art.  The  masterpieces  of 
Greece,  higher  in  rank,  have  nothing  to  rank  with  the  mys- 
tic beauty  of  these.” 

Miss  Edwards,  who  spent  several  weeks  at  Abou  Sim- 
bel,  says:  “The  artists  who  wrought  the  original  statues 
were  embarrassed  by  no  difficulties  of  focus,  daunted  by  no 
difficulties  of  scale.  Giants  themselves,  they  summoned 
these  giants  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  endowed  them  with 
superhuman  strength  and  beauty.  They  sought  no  quar- 
ried blocks  of  syenite  or  granite  for  their  work.  They 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


303 


fashioned  no  models  of  clay.  They  took  a mountain,  and 
fell  upon  it  like  Titans,  and  hollowed  and  carved  it  as 
though  it  were  a cherry  stone,  and  left  it  for  the  feebler 
men  of  after  ages  to  marvel  at  forever.  One  great  hall  and 
fifteen  spacious  chambers  they  hewed  out  from  the  heart  of 
it;  then  smoothed  the  rugged  precipice  towards  the  river, 
and  cut  four  huge  statues  with  their  faces  to  the  sunrise, 
two  to  the  right  and  two  to  the  left  of  the  doorway,  there 
to  keep  watch  to  the  end  of  time. 

“ Nothing  in  Egyptian  sculpture  is  perhaps  quite  so 
wonderful  as  the  way  in  which  these  Abou  Simbel  artists 
dealt  with  the  thousands  of  tons  of  material  to  which  they 
gave  human  form.  Consummate  masters  of  effect,  they 
knew  precisely  what  to  do  and  what  to  leave  undone. 
These  were  portrait  statues:  therefore  they  finished  the 
heads  up  to  the  highest  point  consistent  with  their  size. 
But  the  trunk  and  the  lower  limbs  they  regarded  from  a 
decorative  rather  than  a statuesque  point  of  view.  As  dec- 
oration, it  was  necessary  that  they  should  give  size  and  dig- 
nity to  the  facade.  Everything  consequently  was  here 
subordinated  to  the  general  effect  of  breadth,  of  massive- 
ness, of  repose.  Considered  thus,  the  Colossi  are  a tri- 
umph of  treatment.  Side  by  side  they  sit,  placid  and 
majestic,  their  feet  a little  apart,  their  hands  resting  on 
their  knees.  Shapely  though  they  are,  those  huge  legs 
look  scarcely  inferior  in  girth  to  the  great  columns  at 
Karnac.”* 

Each  of  the  four  statues  bears  the  royal  cartouch  and 
name  of  Rameses  II.  It  is  deeply  cut  on  the  breasts,  the 
arms  and  the  legs  of  the  four  Colossi.  By  the  side  of  the 
statues  of  the  king  is  that  of  the  queen.  But  it  is  so 
dwarfed  by  the  gigantic  proportions  of  the  larger  statues 


* *'  A Thousand  Miles  up  the  Nile,”  pages  288,  289. 


304 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


that  it  at  first  escapes  notice,  and  yet  it  is  about  twenty 
feet  high.  The  representation  shows  what  an  exalted 
opinion  Pharaoh  had  of  himself  and  how  he  regarded  his 
consort. 

Back  of  these  four  gigantic  figures"  the  mountain  has 
been  chiseled  and  hollowed  out  to  a depth  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  feet.  The  entrance  to  the  temple  is  be- 
tween the  statues,  two  keeping  eternal  watch  on  either 
side.  Entering  the  door  we  find  ourselves  in  an  immense 
hallway  fifty-eight  feet  long  and  fifty-four  wide.  To  sup- 
port the  ceiling  eight  square  columns  of  the  original  rock 
were  left  standing,  and  on  the  inner  side  and  facing  each 
other  these  columns  were  carved  into  images  of  the  king. 
Each  one  of  them  is  twenty  feet  high.  They  stand  erect 
and  form  a central  aisle  in  the  hall.  They  are  clothed  in  a 
close-fitting  tunic  with  belts  about  the  loins  on  which  is 
cut  the  royal  name  of  Rameses. 

The  hall  opens  into  eight  chambers  and  into  a smaller 
hall,  at  the  end  of  which  there  is  a small  chamber  with  an 
altar,  used  as  the  place  of  sacrifice.  The  walls  of  this 
wonderful  mountain  temple  are  covered  with  paintings  and 
sculpture  in  bas-relief.  Of  the  decorations  Manning  says: 
“The  walls  are  glowing  with  color  like  the  pages  of  an  il- 
luminated missal,  magnified  a thousandfold.  Their  theme 
is  everywhere  the  same, — the  glory  of  Rameses.  We  can- 
not fail,  however,  to  be  struck  by  the  contrast  between  the 
tranquil,  gentle  face  of  the  deified  monarch,  and  the  deeds 
of  savage  ferocity  which  are  here  ascribed  to  him.  Long 
lines  of  captives  are  led  bound  before  him  on  their  way 
to  execution.  lie  himself  is  depicted  as  slaying  them  with 
pitiless  cruelty.  In  one  sculpture  lie  is  grasping  by  the 
hair  a group  of  prisoners,  representing  the  various  nations, 
African  and  Asiatic,  which  he  has  conquered.  With  his  up- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBI.E  LANDS. 


305 


lifted  sword  he  is  about  to  decapitate  them.  The  god  Am- 
mon hands  him  a scimiter,  in  token  of  his  approval  of  the 
deed.  We  follow  the  mighty  conqueror  through  his  cam- 
paigns. In  one  place  he  is  charging  in  his  war  chariot 
upon  a whole  phalanx  of  Scythians.  In  another,  he  single- 
handed  slays  their  chief.  In  a third,  he  is  laying  waste  the 


Rameses  II  Slaying  his  Captives  (A bon  Sinibel). 


territory  of  the  Ethiopians.  But  everywhere  his  counte- 
nance wears  the  same  expression  of  tranquillity  and  repose 
which  nothing  can  disturb.”* 

On  the  north  side  of  the  great  hall  is  to  be  seen  a great 
picture,  a monster  battle  scene,  nearly  fifty-eight  feet  long 
and  twenty-five  feet  high,  which  is  said  to  contain  over 


* “ The  I. and  of  the  Pharaohs.” 


306 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


eleven  thousand  figures.  It  is  much  more  than  the  scene 
of  a battle,  it  is  a grand  pictorial  history  of  a campaign. 
Everywhere  Rameses  II  is  to  be  seen  triumphing  over  his 
foes.  The  inscriptions  laud  him  as  the  mighty  king,  the 
great  victor.  He  is  drawing  his  chariot  among  his  ene- 
mies, who  flee  before  him.  Some  are  crushed  under  its 
iron  wheels  while  others  fall  beneath  the  stroke  of  his 
sword.  A great  river  winds  its  way  through  the  picture. 
Some  of  the  fugitives  plunge  into  the  water  and  are 
drowned.  The  wounded  and  dead  are  strewn  about  the 
field  of  battle  and  riderless  horses  are  to  be  seen  running 
away  from  the  carnage  of  the  battle.  The  great  picture  is 
all  for  the  glory  of  Rameses  II.  Some  one  has  called  him 
the  Barnum  of  Egypt,  and  the  name  is  appropriate. 

Further  on  is  a group  engaged  in  counting  the  hands 
that  have  been  severed  from  the  arms  of  those  slain  by  the 
king.  The  royal  secretary  takes  down  the  number  while 
the  others  take  up  the  hands  one  by  one  and  throw  them 
on  a heap  which  has  already  assumed  a great  size.  Again 
w’e  see  the  king  returning  in  great  pomp  from  his  victori- 
ous campaign,  preceded  by  his  prisoners.  They  are  tied 
together  in  gangs,  having  ropes  placed  around  their  necks. 
Their  arms  are  bound,  some  above  the  head,  some  behind 
and  some  in  front  of  the  prisoners.  The  annexed  engrav- 
ing shows  the  prisoners  to  be  of  different  nationalities. 
There  is  no  mistaking  the  black  skin,  the  flat  noses  and  the 
thick  lips  of  the  upper  group:  they  are  as  distinctively  Afri- 
can as  are  the  Abyssinians,  Negroes  and  Nubians  of  to-day. 
And  the  lower  group  is  as  distinctively  Asiatic.  They  stag- 
ger along  with  their  heads  thrown  back,  the  very  picture  of 
pain  and  suffering. 

Among  the  faces  on  the  wall  are  very  many  of  the 
Jewish  type,  very  distinctly  and  plainly  marked.  Indeed 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


307 


any  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  peculiar  faces  of  the  sons 
of  Jacob  could  at  once  point  them  out  on  the  walls  of  this 
old  rock-cut  temple.  There  is  not  much  doubt  that  Rame- 
ses  II,  the  oppressor  of  the  Jews,  who  compelled  them  to 
perform  all  kinds  of  hard  labor,  brought  them  up  the  Nile 


to  work  in  the  quarries  and  assist  in  excavating  the  great 
mountain  temple  at  Abou  Simbel.  If  these  silent,  sculp- 
tured walls  could  speak,  what  a tale  of  human  suffering  and 
woe  they  could  reveal!  But  they  are  as  silent  as  the  grave 
and  will  hold  their  secrets  until  the  day  of  final  reckoning. 

In  one  of  the  chambers  we  noticed  an  unfinished  sculp- 
ture. It  was  intended  to  represent  Raineses  offering  a sac- 


308 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


rifice  to  his  god  Ammon  Ra.  The  figure  of  the  king  was 
finished  and  a few  lines  were  cut  in  that  of  the  god,  and 
there  the  work  ceased.  The  drawing  by  which  the  artist’s 
chisel  was  to  be  guided  is  plainly  visible,  and  is  perhaps  as 
distinct  to-day  as  it  was  thirty-three  centuries  ago  when  the 
lines  were  first  drawn.  Why  was  the  work  left  thus  unfin- 
ished? Who  can  tell?  The  silent  halls  of  the  old  temple, 
the  dwelling-place  of  bats  and  serpents,  hold  their  secrets 
well. 

At  this  place  we  refer  again  to  the  very  striking  and 
close  resemblance  of  the  natives  who  inhabit  Egypt  and 
Nubia  to-day  to  the  race  that  built  the  pyramids,  Memphis, 
Thebes,  and  who  chiseled  out  the  heart  of  this  mountain 
and  made  of  it  a grand,  enduring  temple.  Both  in  Egypt 
and  here  in  Nubia  we  have  seen  faces  strikingly  like  those 
sculptured  on  the  walls  of  tombs  and  temples  at  Sakkara, 
Beni  Hassan,  Abydos,  Dendereh,  Esneh,  Edfou,  Thebes, 
and  now  here  again  in  this  mountain  temple  of  the  Pha- 
raoh of  the  oppression.  As  we  wandered  through  its 
chambers  a number  of  our  attendant  Nubians  had  the  pe- 
culiar type  of  face  seen  on  the  sculptured  walls.  We  no- 
ticed particularly  the  resemblance  between  one  who  stood 
by  our  side  and  the  faces  carved  on  the  wall;  it  was  so 
great  that  for  a moment  it  seemed  to  us  that  one  of  the  an- 
cient Egyptians  had  stepped  from  the  tomb  and  taken  flesh 
and  blood  upon  himself  again.  No  son  ever  looked  more 
like  his  father.  “Their  skin  is  of  a dusky  yellow  color,  a 
shade  darker  than  the  Arab’s,  their  countenance  full  without 
being  puffed,  their  eyes  large,  black  and  slightly  almond- 
shaped,  the  nose  nearly  straight  and  rounded  at  the  tip,  the 
nostrils  dilated;  the  lips  thick  but  not  thrown  back  as  those 
of  the  Negro:  and  beard  and  hair  black,  a little  bushy  but 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


309 


not  woolly.”  They  are  a fine-looking  and  rather  handsome 
race  of  people. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  spent  at  Abou  Simbel  we 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  to  see  the  sun  set;  and 
we  had  a fine  view  of  the  Nile  valley  and  desert  on  either 
side.  The  ranges  of  the  desert  hills,  bordered  by  the  green 
banks  of  the  river,  studded  with  groves  of  palms,  and  tam- 
arisk trees  and  the  villages  of  the  natives  are  full  of  beau- 
ty and  interest.  The  western  sun  throws  over  all  these  a 
glory  of  light  and  color  beyond  the  description  of  pen  or 
pencil.  The  atmosphere  in  this  climate,  where  rain  and 
dew  are  unknown,  is  wonderfully  clear,  and  the  sunsets  are 
beautiful  beyond  description.  As  the  monarch  of  the  day 
sinks  below  the  western  horizon  the  sky  is  all  ablaze  with 
glory. 

“ Now  sinks  more  lovely  ere  his  course  is  run, 

Behind  the  eternal  hills  the  setting  sun, 

Not  as  in  Northern  climes  obscurely  bright 
"But  one  unclouded  blaze  of  living  light.” 

South  of  the  Tropic  of  Cancer  the  beautiful  constella- 
tion known  as  the  Southern  Cross  appears  above  the  hori- 
zon. We  saw  the  beautiful  glittering  stars,  but  they  do  not 
compare  in  magnitude  with  the  constellations  of  our  north- 
ern heavens.  The  Great  Bear  and  Orion  are  much  more 
brilliant,  and  if  they  could  be  seen  in  this  clear  atmosphere 
the  Southern  Cross  would  pale  in  comparison  with  them. 
But  the  Southern  Cross  is  a beautiful  constellation  of  stars, 
and  we  shall  never  forget  how  brightly  it  shone  and  how 
each  star  was  mirrored  in  Egypt’s  dark  river. 

We  were  up  at  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  to  see  the 
stars,  and  then  before  sunup  we  went  alone  to  the  great 
temple.  Just  as  the  rim  of  the  sun  appeared  above  the 
eastern  desert  the  interior  of  the  temple  was  flooded  with 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS 


310 

light . It  is  the  one  hour  of  all  the  twenty-four  to-  see  the 
temple.  Its  dark  halls  were  lit  up  by  a flood  of  light  from 
the  rising  sun.  Even  the  gloom  of  the  side  chambers  was 
broken  by  the  reflected  light.  A short  distance  north  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


31  I 

the  great  temple  of  Rameses  II  is  a smaller  rock-cut  tem- 
ple. It  would  be  a great  work  if  it  stood  somewhere  else, 
but  here  under  the  shadow  of  the  Colossi  it  is  dwarfed  into 
insignificance.  The  face  of  the  cliff  has  been  smoothed  for 
a distance  of  ninety  feet,  and  six  statues  are  carved  in 
niches,  three  on  either  side  of  the  entrance.  The  engrav- 
ing gives  a good  view  of  the  front  of  the  temple.  Here 
again  are  statues  of  Rameses  II,  and  also  of  his  queen, 
Nefertari.  Entering  the  doorway  we  found  a hall  forty 
feet  in  length  by  twenty-one  in  width,  tw?o  chambers,  an  in- 
ner sanctuary  and  a transverse  corridor.  The  ceiling,  or 
rather  the  superincumbent  mountain,  is  supported  by  six 
square  pillars  of  the  original  stone.  After  visiting  the 
great  temple  this  smaller  one  loses  much  in  importance. 

The  statues  on  the  outside,  standing  three  to  the  right 
and  three  to  the  left  of  the  door,  are  somewhat  broken  and 
mutilated.  They  are  thirty  feet  high  and  represent  Rame- 
ses II  and  his  queen,  Nefertari.  Our  engraving  on  the 
succeeding  page  shows  the  face  of  the  one  woman  among 
all  others  upon  whom  the  king  set  his  love.  Her  statue  is 
full  of  graceful  beauty  and  the  full  lips,  well-formed  chin 
and  nose  and  rounded  cheek  show  that  the  queen  was  not 
without  personal  attractions.  An  inscription  on  the  out- 
side sets  forth  that  “ Rameses,  the  strong  in  Truth,  the  be- 
loved of  Ammon,  made  this  divine  abode  for  his  royal  wife 
Nefertari,  whom  he  loves.”  Inside  of  the  temple  another 
inscription  states  that  the  queen,  “ the  royal  wife  who  loves 
him,  constructed  for  him  this  abode  in  the  mountain  of  pure 
waters.” 

These  inscriptions  show  that  the  Pharaoh  of  the  op- 
pression had  also  a tender  side  to  his  nature  and  that  even 
human  love  softens  the  hard,  stony  heart.  One  author,* 


* Miss  Edwards. 


Head  of  Queen  Nefcrtari,  Wife  of  Ramoses  II.  From 
a Sculpture  at  Abou  Simbcl. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


313 


writing  of  the  smaller  temple  at  Abou  Simbel,  says:  “On 
every  pillar,  in  every  act  of  worship  pictured  on  the  walls, 
even  in  the  sanctuary,  we  find  the  names  of  Raineses  and 
Nefertari  ‘ coupled  and  inseparable.’  In  this  double  dedi- 
cation, and  in  the  unwonted  tenderness  of  style,  one  seems 
to  detect  traces  of  some  event,  perhaps  of  some  anniversa- 
ry, the  particulars  of  which  are  lost  forever.  It  may  have 
been  a meeting;  it  may  have  been  a parting;  it  may  have 
been  a prayer  answered,  or  a vow  fulfilled.  We  see  at  all 
events  that  Rameses  and  Nefertari  desired  to  leave  behind 
them  an  imperishable  record  of  the  affection  which  united 
them  on  earth,  and  which  they  hoped  would  reunite  them 
in  Amenti.  What  more  do  we  need  to  know?  We  see 
that  the  queen  was  fair;  that  the  king  was  in  his  prime. 
We  divine  the  rest;  and  the  poetry  of  the  place  at  least  is 
ours.  Even  in  these  barren  solitudes  there  is  wafted  to  us 
a breath  from  the  shores  of  old  romance.  We  feel  that 
love  once  passed  this  way,  and  that  the  ground  is  still  hal- 
lowed where  he  trod.” 

Quite  different  in  character  is  the  inscription  in  the 
great  temple  where  the  warlike  nature  of  the  king  is  set 
forth.  This  interesting  inscription,  found  on  a slab,  states 
that  in  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  Rameses  II  his  majesty 
was  in  the  land  of  Tah,  not  far  from  Kadesh  on  the  Oron- 
tes.  The  outposts  kept  a sharp  lookout,  and  when  the 
army  came  to  the  south  of  the  town  of  Shabtun,  two  of  the 
spies  of  the  Shasu  came  into  the  court  and  pretended  that 
they  had  been  sent  by  the  chiefs  of  their  tribe  to  inform 
king  Rameses  II  that  they  had  forsaken  the  chief  of  the 
Cheta  (supposed  to  be  the  Hittites  of  the  Bible),  and  that 
they  wished  to  make  an  alliance  with  his  majesty  and  to 
become  vassals  of  his.  They  then  went  on  to  say  that  the 
chief  of  the  Cheta  was  in  the  land  of  Chirebu  to  the  north 


3i4 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


of  Tunep,  some  distance  off,  and  that  they  were  afraid  to 
come  near  the  Egyptian  king.  These  two  men  were  giving 
false  information,  and  they  had  actually  been  sent  by  the 
Cheta  chief  to  find  out  where  Rameses  and  his  army  were; 
the  Cheta  chief  and  his  army  were  at  that  moment  drawn 
up  in  battle  array  behind  Kadesh.  Shortly  after  these  men 
were  dismissed  an  Egyptian  scout  came  into  the  king’s 
presence,  bringing  with  him  two  spies  from  the  army  of  the 
chief  of  the  Cheta;  on  being  questioned  they  informed 
Rameses  that  the  chief  of  the  Cheta  was  encamped  behind 
Kadesh,  and  that  he  had  succeeded  in  gathering  together  a 
multitude  of  soldiers  and  chariots  from  the  country  round 
about.  Rameses  summoned  his  officers  to  his  presence, 
and  informed  them  of  the  news  he  had  just  heard;  they  lis- 
tened with  surprise,  and  insisted  that  the  newly-received  in- 
formation was  untrue.  Rameses  seriously  blamed  the 
chiefs  of  the  intelligence  department  for  their  neglect  of 
duty,  and  they  admitted  their  fault.  Orders  were  straight- 
way issued  for  the  Egyptian  army  to  march  on  Kadesh, 
and  as  they  were  crossing  a river  near  that  city  the  hostile 
forces  fell  in  with  each  other.  When  Rameses  saw  this,  he 
“ growled  at  them  like  his  father  Menthu,  Lord  of  Thebes,” 
and  having  hastily  put  on  his  full  armor,  he  mounted  his 
chariot  and  drove  into  battle.  His  onset  was  so  sudden 
and  rapid  that  before  he  knew  where  he  was  he  found  him- 
self surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  completely  isolated 
from  his  own  troops.  He  called  his  father,  or  god,  Ammon 
Ra  to  help  him,  and  then  addressed  himself  to  the  slaugh- 
ter of  all  who  came  in  his  way;  and  his  prowess  was  so  great 
that  the  enemy  fell  in  heaps,  one  over  the  other,  into  the 
waters  of  the  Orontes.  He  was  quite  alone,  and  not  one  of 
his  soldiers  or  horsemen  came  near  him  to  help  him.  It 
was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he  succeeded  in 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


315 

cutting  his  way  through  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  At  the 
end  of  the  inscription  he  says:  “ Everything  that  my  majes- 
ty has  stated,  that  I did  in  the  presence  of  my  soldiers  and 
horsemen.”* 

The  event  here  recorded  was  made  the  subject  of  a 
poem  by  Pentaur,  the  Egyptian  poet,  and  was  considered 
worthy  to  be  inscribed  on  papyrus  and  upon  the  walls  of 
the  temples  built  by  Rameses  II.  We  quote  several  lines 
from  the  English  translation  of  the  poem. 

“Then  the  king  he  lashed  each  horse, 

And  they  quickened  up  their  course, 

And  he  dashed  into  the  middle  of  the  hostile,  Hittite  host, 

All  alone,  none  other  with  him,  for  he  counted  not  the  cost, 
Then  he  looked  behind  and  found 
That  the  foe  were  all  around, 

Two  thousand  and  five  hundred  of  their  chariots  of  war, 

And  the  flower  of  the  Hittites,  and  their  helpers,  in  a ring, 

Cut  off  the  way  behind, 

Retreat  he  could  not  find; 

Then  were  three  men  on  each  car. 

And  they  gathered  all  together,  and  closed  upon  the  king. 

Yea,  and  not  one  of  my  princes,  of  my  chief  men  and  my  great, 
Was  with  me,  nor  a knight; 

For  my  warriors  and  my  chariots  had  left  me  to  my  fate, 

Not  one  was  there  to  take  his  part  in  the  fight.”  | 

Our  stay  at  Abou  Simbel  is  none  too  long  for  us.  It 
has  that  peculiar  charm  and  interest  that  attaches  to  all 
places  with  which  Bible  characters  have  been  associated 
These  huge  statues  of  the  Pharaoh  who  knew  not  Joseph 
are  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  Floating  down  the 
Nile  after  our  visit  to  Wady  Haifa  we  see  these  mighty 
warders,  looking  out  from  their  mountain  thrones,  keeping 
silent  watch  over  river  and  desert  as  they  have  kept  watch 


* Budge,  “ The  Nile,”  page  307,  308. 
t“  Notes  lor  the  Nile,”  Rawnsly. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


316 

for  more  than  thirty-three  centuries,  and  as  they  will  con- 
tinue to  keep  watch  until  the  last  trump  shall  sound.  A 
sudden  turn  in  the  river  and  they  are  lost  to  our  sight  for- 
ever. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


From  Abou  Simbcl  to  the  Second  Cataract  — A Figure  of  Christ. — 
Wady  Haifa. — Warlike  Appearances. — • Women  Veiling  their  Faces. 
— Contrast  Between  Virtue  and  Vice.  — Beyond  the  Cataract. — 
Homeward  Bound.— Egypt  and  the  Prophets. — The  Potter  at  his 
Wheel. — Cairo  again. 


ROM  Abou  Simbel  southward  to  Wady  Haifa  and 
the  second  cataract  the  Nile  valley  presents  to  the 
traveler  an  ever-changing  aspect.  The  scenery  be- 
comes more  picturesque  and  rugged  as  we  ascend  the  river, 
and  the  narrow  strip  of  vegetation  on  either  side  becomes 
more  tropical  in  its  character.  The  doom  palm  which  we 
saw  first  at  Thebes  now  becomes  more  general,  and  fields  of 
cotton  and  sugar  cane  line  the  narrow  banks  of  the  river. 


At  many  places  the  yellow  sand  of  the  desert  comes  down 
to  the  water’s  edge,  whilst  at  others  the  mountains  hem  in 
the  stream. 


“A  desert  lies  on  either  hand, 

In  stern  and  lone  repose; 

Between  the  wastes  of  yellow  sand 
The  dark  Nile  flows. 

The  dark-robed  women  file  in  troops, 

To  fill  their  water-jars, 

Where  wind-bound  boats  lie  moored  in  groups 
With  idle  spars." 

Here  and  there,  on  some  low  mud  island  in  the  middle 
of  the  river,  basking  in  the  sunshine,  may  be  seen  the  croc- 
odile, sacred  to  the  ancient  Egyptian  god  Sebek,  who  is 
317 


3i8 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


represented  on  the  monuments  with  the  head  of  this  mon- 
ster. Disturbed  in  his  slumbers  he  lazily  raises  his  head 
and,  seeing  our  swiftly-approaching  boat,  quickly  disap- 
pears in  the  water.  Boats  with  native  crews  are  met  and 
passed,  and 

“ Up  from  the  river  softly  floats 
The  boatmen’s  wailing  song,” 

as  they  laboriously  pull  against  the  swift  current.  The 
houses  of  the  villages  on  the  banks  with  dome-shaped  roofs 
are  all  built  of  mud,  and  the  natives  are  much  darker 
skinned  than  those  we  meet  farther  north.  The  rays  of  the 
noonday  sun,  even  in  midwinter,  beat  down  from  a cloud- 
less sky  so  that  we  are  glad  to  seek  the  shade.  We  realize 
now  very  fully  that  we  are  in  the  torrid  zone  of  Africa. 

A few  miles  south  of  Abou  Simbel,  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  river,  is  a small  rock-cut  temple  belonging  to  the  peri- 
od of  Rameses  II.  It  is  without  special  interest,  save  that 
soon  after  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  Egypt  by 
Saint  Mark  it  was  used  as  a place  of  worship.  In  one  of 
the  chambers  may  be  seen  a figure  of  Christ.  In  this  in- 
stance one  of  the  temples  erected  for  the  worship  of  idols 
was  changed  into  a house  of  prayer  for  the  worship  of  the 
living  God.  The  temple  is  called  Abahudah,  after  a Nubi- 
an village  lying  farther  to  the  south. 

At  two  o’clock,  Jan.  12,  1893,  the  Oonas  was  steered  to 
a landing-place  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Nile  and  made  fast 
to  stakes  driven  in  the  mud.  We  were  at  Wady  Haifa  and 
had  reached  the  southern  limit  of  our  journey  by  boat. 

Wady  Haifa  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Nile  and  con- 
sists of  several  small  villages.  It  is  the  southern  boundary 
of  Egypt’s  possessions  in  Africa.  Since  the  war  in  the  Sou- 
dan and  the  death  of  Gordon  there  has  been  a military  post 
at  this  place,  garrisoned  with  five  regiments  of  native  sol- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


319 


diers,  mainly  Negroes,  under  British  officers.  The  Mahdi’s 
soldiers  are  constantly  threatening  this  frontier  post  and 
a sharp  lookout  is  constantly  kept  for  the  enemy.  Three 
gunboats,  several  batteries  of  artillery  and  the  presence  of 
a large  body  of  soldiers  give  the  place  a warlike  appear- 
ance. The  troops  are  well  drilled  and  are  under  excellent 
discipline,  and  it  is  said  that  they  are  brave  men  on  the  bat- 
tle field. 

On  the  side  of  the  river  opposite  where  our  boat  is  tied 
we  notice  what  is  known  as  the  Camel  Corps.  We  are 
somewhat  interested  in  watching  the  drilling  and  the  ma- 
neuvers of  this  body  of  men  mounted  on  the  swift-footed 
dromedaries  of  the  desert.  An  odd-looking  troop  of  caval- 
ry it  is.  At  a given  word  of  command  the  camels  suddenly 
halt  in  their  swinging  trot  and  kneel  down;  the  men  dis- 
mount and  crouch  by  the  side  of  the  kneeling  animal  using 
it  as  a kind  of  breastwork  while  they  aim  and  fire  at  an  im- 
aginary foe.  Then  they  mount  again,  dash  out  upon  the 
desert  at  a swift  pace,  going  through  some  very  difficult  ev- 
olutions, when  the  command  to  halt  and  dismount  is  again 
given.  The  drill  is  practiced  every  day,  and  it  is  wonder- 
ful how  well  the  animals  are  trained. 

The  Camel  Corps  is  maintained  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
suing the  Dervishes  who,  after  making  sudden  attacks  upon 
the  garrison  and  doing  what  damage  they  can,  escape  again 
to  the  trackless  desert.  Horses  were  found  to  be  practical- 
ly useless  in  pursuing  these  desert  nomads,  hence  the  or- 
ganization of  the  noted  Camel  Corps.  The  best  trained 
camels  will  travel  from  sixty  to  seventy  miles  a day  for 
three  or  four  days  without  food  or  water.  But  the  Dervish- 
es have  the  advantage.  They  are  at  home  on  the  desert 
and  can  laugh  their  pursuers  to  scorn. 


320 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


A narrow  gauge  railway  has  been  constructed  from 
Wady  Haifa  to  Sarras,  a distance  of  thirty-five  miles,  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  troops  and  military  supplies  above 
the  second  cataract,  which  is  not  navigable.  More  than 
half  of  it  was  torn  up  by  the  Mahdi’s  soldiers;  the  iron  rails 
were  thrown  into  the  Nile  and  the  cross-ties  were  used  by 
them  to  boil  their  kettles.  The  entire  line  has  again  been 
rebuilt  by  the  army  of  occupation  at  Wady  Haifa  and  trains 
are  run  out  under  a strong  military  escort  as  far  as  Sarras. 

Two  miles  north  of  Wady  Haifa  and  the  garrison  is  a 
considerable  Nubian  village  called  Barbrosa,  which  we  vis- 
it during  the  afternoon  of  our  first  day  at  the  second  cata- 
ract. Here  we  see  some  strange  phases  of  human  exist- 
ence. The  soldiers  of  the  garrison  frequent  the  place  and 
it  has  become  a kind  of  trading  post  for  them.  The  villa- 
gers are  a mixture  of  Nubians,  Abyssinians,  Soudanese  and 
Negroes  from  central  Africa,  each  with  his  peculiar  cus- 
toms and  modes  of  living.  The  main  street  of  the  village 
is  lined  with  shops  and  the  merchants  are  importunate  in 
soliciting  customers.  We  were  offered  swords,  spears, 
knives,  war  clubs,  shields  and  other  implements  of  war.  A 
spear  from  the  Soudan  changed  ownership  and  is  now  in 
the  author’s  library  at  Mount  Morris. 

Not  only  at  this  Nubian  village,  but  all  along  the 
Nile  from  Alexandria  to  the  second  cataract  we  have  no- 
ticed the  universal  custom  among  virtuous  women  of  veil- 
ing the  face.  Even  the  poor  women  who  toil  in  the  fields 
and  those  who  come  down  to  the  river  to  fill  their  water- 
jars,  though  not  veiled,  would  draw,  a part  of  their  garment 
over  their  faces  at  the  approach  of  any  of  the  male  mem- 
bers of  our  party.  This  modest  reserve  on  the  part  of 
these  women  is  all  the  more  striking  when  contrasted  with 
the  appearance  of  those  who  do  not  have  the  reputation  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


321 


being  virtuous.  To-day,  coming  into  this  Nubian  village, 
we  see  on  the  streets  a number  of  gaudily-dressed  women 
bedecked  with  a great  profusion  of  bright  colors  and  cheap 
jewelry.  Their  faces  are  unveiled  and  their  bold,  brazen 
looks  and  disgusting  actions  tell  only  too  plainly  of  the  life 
of  shame  and  degradation  which  they  lead.  The  contrast 
between  these  and  the  modest,  virtuous  women  with  veiled 
faces  is  most  striking.  No  greater  insult  could  be  offered 
to  a virtuous  woman  in  the  East  than  to  uncover  her  face 
in  public,  and  the  reason  is  obvious.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Paul,  in  writing  to  the  Corinthians  in  reference  to  cov- 
ering or  veiling  the  head  in  time  of  prayer,  refers  to  this 
eastern  custom:  “But  every  woman  that  prayeth  or  prophe- 
sieth  with  her  head  uncovered  dishonoreth  her  head.”  I 
Cor.  11:5.  Some  hold  that  the  language  was  applicable 
only  to  the  eastern  people  at  that  time;  but  this  view  seems 
scarcely  tenable,  for  surely  no  virtuous  woman  would  need 
to  be  told  that  it  is  a shame  for  her  to  have  her  head  un- 
veiled. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  our  second  day  at  Wady  Haifa 
we  took  the  train  for  an  excursion  above  the  second  cata- 
ract. We  went  beyond  the  rock  of  Abu-Sir,  which  is  usual- 
ly visited  by  all  Nile  travelers  who  come  as  far  south  as  the 
second  cataract.  The  commander  of  the  post  told  us  that 
it  was  unsafe  to  cross  the  river,  as  an  attack  of  the  Dervish- 
es might  be  expected.  Of  course  we  had  no  desire  to  meet 
these  fanatical  Moslems,  and  we  were  well  satisfied  with  a 
ride  on  the  railway  around  and  above  the  cataract.  The 
road  skirts  the  desert  for  some  distance  and  then  approach- 
es the  river  again.  Reaching  the  extreme  southern  limit  of 
our  Nile  journey  our  train  stopped,  and  we  spent  some  time 
wandering  about  the  desert  and  among  the  rocks  along  the 


river. 


322 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS, 


Climbing  to  the  top  of  a rocky  knoll  we  have  a mag- 
nificent view  of  the  surrounding  country.  Owing  to  the 
singular  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  distant  objects  appear 
very  close  ':o  us.  South  of  us  the  Libyan  desert  stretches 
out  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  in  one  vast  undulating  plain, 
its  amber-colored  sand  glowing  in  the  brilliant  sunlight. 
Northwards  is  the  rushing  river,  broken  into  numberless 
streams  and  lakes  by  the  small  islands  and  huge,  black,  pol- 
ished rocks,  dashing  and  foaming  down  the  rapids  for  a dis- 
tance of  sixteen  miles.  The  banks  of  the  stream  are  lined 
with  black  rocks  of  volcanic  formation,  'among  which  the 
wind  has  carried  patches  of  the  yellow  sand  of  the  desert. 
The  scene  is  remarkable  for  its  wildness  and  desolation, 
and  beautiful  withal  on  account  of  the  clear  light  and  tran- 
scendent coloring. 

This  is  the  end  of  our  southward  journey.  Wady 
Haifa  is  nine  hundred  and  sixty-five  miles  south  of  the  port 
of  Alexandria.  Add  to  this  our  trip  by  rail,  and  our  jour- 
ney up  the  Nile  covers  very  nearly  one  thousand  miles.  At 
this  end  of  our  journey  we  are  not  far  from  eight  thousand 
miles  from  our  western  home  in  the  New  World.  We  gath- 
er a number  of  beautiful  agate  pebbles  with  which  the  des- 
ert is  literally  covered  at  this  place.  They  have  been  finely 
polished  by  the  sand  which  the  wind  has  driven  over  them 
for  ages.  We  notice  a cemetery  near  Wady  Haifa  where 
the  women  are  decorating  the  graves  of  their  friends  with 
these  beautiful  pebbles.  Around  the  outer  edge  of  the 
grave  a row  of  the  larger  stones  is  placed,  and  then  the  lit- 
tle square  inside  is  covered  with  the  agates,  presenting  a 
very  beautiful  appearance.  Just  before  we  take  the  train 
for  our  return  trip  the  Elder  is  the  lucky  finder  of  a horse- 
shoe which  has  been  partly  buried  in  the  sand.  We  both 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  323 

recall  the  tradition  of  our  boyhood  days,  and  the  horseshoe 
may  now  be  seen  in  the  Elder’s  cabinet  at  his  home. 

At  high  noon  the  Oonas  is  loosed  from  the  river  bank. 
Swinging  out  upon  the  water  her  prow  is  turned  north- 
wards and,  with  steam  and  current  both  in  our  favor,  we 
glide  rapidly  down  stream.  VVe  are  glad  to  be  safely  away 
from  Wady  Haifa.  There  is  far  too  much  warlike  spirit 
there  for  men  of  peace.  Then  another  reason  for  rejoicing 
is  that  we  are  homeward  bound,  yes,  thank  God,  homeward 
bound!  What  a world  of  meaning  there  is  in  these  words 
to  the  weary  wanderer  far  away  from  home  and  loved  ones! 
They  bring  joy  to  the  heart  and  stir  the  soul  with  renewed 
hope  of  meeting  again  those  who  are  dearer  to  us  than  all 
the  world  besides,  and  never  dearer  than  now  when  so  far 
away. 

Only  those  who  have  felt  in  a far-away  land  the  heart 
yearnings  for  home,  who  have  known  the  weary,  wakeful 
hours  of  the  long  night  when  sleep  comes  not  to  the  eyes 
nor  slumber  to  the  eyelids,  when  the  mind  is  filled  with 
anxious  thoughts  of  home  and  the  loved  ones  there,  only 
those  can  know  to  the  full  the  meaning  of  the  words  home- 
ward bound. 

Then,  too,  God  has  been  good  to  us  and  our  hearts  go 
out  to  him  in  gratitude  for  his  protecting  care  over  us  dur- 
ing our  long  and  dangerous  journey.  Hitherto  the  Lord 
has  blessed  us,  and  to-day  as  we  turn  our  faces  homeward 
we  realize  how  good  he  has  been  to  us,  and  we  bless  his 
holy  name,  praying  that  his  blessings  and  his  protecting 
care  may  be  about  us  on  our  homeward  journey  and  that 
we  may  again  be  permitted  to  meet  those  we  love. 

Down  the  river  we  float,  gliding  by  villages  and  palm 
groves,  sakkiehs  and  shadufs,  temples  and  tombs,  the  ruins 
of  Egypt’s  departed  greatness.  At  Philse  we  receive  our 


324 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


mail  and  a bundle  of  letters  and  papers  from  home  is  hand- 
ed us.  Good  news  from  home  cheers  the  heart  and  is  like 
“cold  water  to  a thirsty  soul.”  A day  is  spent  here  in 
reading  and  answering  letters  and  another  at  Assuan.  The 
syenite  quarries  are  revisited,  a camel  ride  across  a portion 
of  the  desert  is  endured,  and  we  continue  our  journey 
down  the  Nile. 

On  our  way  down  the  river  we  revisit  the  fallen  tem- 
ples and  shattered  monuments,  the  broken  columns  and 
pilfered  tombs  of  ancient  Egypt.  We  pass  by  Thebes  and 
Memphis,  and  draw  a contrast  between  their  bygone  power 
and  greatness  and  their  present  ruin  and  degradation. 
When  these  cities  were  in  the  height  of  their  prosperity, 
when  the  temples  swarmed  with  worshipers  and  the  altars 
wanted  not  for  sacrifices,  when  Egypt’s  name  was  feared  in 
all  the  East,  then  the  prophets  of  the  Hebrews  spoke  of 
her  downfall. 

Even  before  the  long  and  flourishing  reign  of  Amasis, 
Ezekiel  spoke  of  the  impending  doom  and  ruin  that  should 
come  upon  the  land  of  the  Nile.  “ Behold,  I am  against 
thee,  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  the  great  dragon  that  lieth  in 
the  midst  of  his  rivers,  which  hath  said,  My  river  is  mine 
own,  and  I have  made  it  for  myself.  And  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Egypt  shall  know  that  I am  the  Lord,  because  they 
have  been  a staff  of  reed  to  the  house  of  Israel.”  Ezek.  29: 
3,  6.  “ And  the  sword  shall  come  upon  Egypt,  and  great 

pain  shall  be  in  Ethiopia,  when  the  slain  shall  fall  in 
Egypt,  and  they  shall  take  away  her  multitude,  and  her 
foundations  shall  be  broken  down.  And  they  shall  know 
that  I am  the  Lord,  when  1 have  set  a fire  in  Egypt,  and 
when  all  her  helpers  shall  be  destroyed.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  I will  also  destroy  the  idols,  and  I will  cause 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


325 


their  images  to  cease  out  of  Noph;*  and  there  shall  be  no 
more  a prince  of  the  land  of  Egypt:  and  I will  put  a fear  in 
the  land  of  Egypt.  And  I will  make  Pathros  desolate,  and 
will  set  fire  in  Zoan,  and  will  execute  judgments  in  No.f 
And  I will  pour  my  fury  upon  Sin,  the  strength  of  Egypt; 
and  I will  cut  off  the  multitude  of  No.  And  I will  set  fire 
in  Egypt:  Sin  shall  have  great  pain,  and  No  shall  be  rent 
asunder,  and  Noph  shall  have  distresses  daily.  The  young 
men  of  Aven  and  Pi-beseth  shall  fall  by  the  sword:  and 
these  cities  shall  go  into  captivity.  At  Tahpanhes  also 
the  day  shall  be  darkened,  when  I shall  break  there  the 
yokes  of  Egypt:  and  the  pomp  of  her  strength  shall  cease 
in  her:  as  for  her,  a cloud  shall  cover  her,  and  her  daugh- 
ters shall  go  into  captivity.”  Ezek.  30:  4,  8,  13-18. 

The  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book  have  been  ful- 
filled to  the  letter.  The  ruins  of  Thebes,  surrounded  by  the 
poor  mud  huts  and  the  mean  villages  of  the  natives,  with 
her  prostrate  columns,  broken  shafts,  and  sand-covered 
temples,  speak  in  unmistakable  language,  saying:  “Behold 
the  fulfillment  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  spoken  by  the 
mouth  of  his  servant  the  prophet.”  The  annexed  engrav- 
ing, a view  in  one  of  the  villages  of  ancient  Thebes,  speaks 
of  the  desolation  of  that  ancient  capital  of  the  Pharaohs 
and  of  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy. 

Not  only  at  Thebes  do  we  hear  the  voice  proclaiming 
the  truth  of  God’s  Book,  but  Memphis  with  her  lonely 
statue  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression,  OnJ  with  her  sin- 
gle obelisk,  Goshen  with  her  fertile  fields,  the  treasure  cities 
of  Pharaoh, — Pithom  and  Raamses, — the  desert  and  the  Red 
Sea  all  bear  testimony,  saying,  “The  Book  of  God  is  true.” 


♦Memphis. 

tThebes. 

tHeliopolis. 


326 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Even  while  we  are  in  Egypt  we  see  the  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  the  saying,  “ There  shall  be  no  prince  in  Egypt.” 
The  present  ruler  is  a vassal  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  but  is 
under  the  hand  of  England.  Only  a few  weeks  ago  the 
Khedive,  as  the  ruler  is  called,  becoming  dissatisfied  with 


A Street  in  one  of  the  Villages  of  Thebes. 


his  cabinet,  dismissed  the  officers  and  appointed  new  ones. 
England  at  once  protested.  The  Khedive  was  compelled 
to  dismiss  the  ministry  he  had  selected  and  appoint  such 
officers  as  England  dictated.  The  movement  on  the  part 


Portico  op  the  Temple  op  Denderah  near  Keneh. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


327 


of  the  ruler  seemed  to  indicate  too  much  independence 
and  England  sent  a number  of  troops  to  reinforce  her  army 
of  occupation  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  Surely  there  is  no 
prince  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  to-day. 

On  our  way  down  the  river  we  stopped  at  Keneh, 
where  are  located  a number  of  potteries.  There  many  of 
the  water  bottles  and  jars  used  in  Egypt  are  made.  We 
were  much  interested  in  a visit  to  the  potters  at  work  at 
their  wheels.  In  the  Bible  there  are  many  allusions  to  the 
potter  and  his  work,  and  it  is  singular  to  find  the  descrip- 
tion given  in  the  Book  fully  confirmed  by  the  actual  prac- 
tice there  to-day.  And  this  is  not  only  true  of  the  potters 
in  Egypt,  but  also  of  those  in  Palestine.  There  was  the  pot- 
ter sitting  by  his  wheel,  turning  it  with  his  foot,  a descrip- 
tion of  which  we  may  find  in  the  Apocrypha:  “ So  doth  the 
potter,  sitting  at  his  work  and  turning  the  wheel  about  with 
his  feet:  he  fashioneth  the  clay  with  his  arm.”  So  the  pot- 
ters there  turned  the  wheel  with  their  feet  as  was  done  in 
Bible  times,  as  their  fathers  did  four  thousand  years  ago. 

By  his  side  the  potter  had  a heap  of  prepared  clay  and 
a jar  of  water.  Taking  a lump  or  ball  of  clay  into  his  hand 
he  placed  it  firmly  on  the  wheel,  then,  dipping  his  hands  in- 
to the  water  and  turning  the  wheel  horizontally  with  his 
foot,  gave  the  mass  of  soft  clay  the  shape  of  a cone.  In- 
to the  top  of  this  he  inserted  his  thumb,  and  thus  opened  a 
hole  down  into  the  center  of  the  clay.  This  he  enlarged  by 
pressing  his  hand  into  it  and  shaping  it  with  both  hands  un- 
til he  had  an  open  vessel  before  him,  which  we  thought 
would  in  the  end  be  a jar;  but  while  we  looked  on  it  sud- 
denly assumed  the  shape  of  an  Egyptian  water  bottle. 
Thus  the  potter  gave  the  vessel  whatever  shape  it  pleased 
him.  It  was  from  a scene  like  this  that  Jeremiah  drew  the 
lesson  of  God’s  absolute  power  over  men  and  nations. 


328 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  whole  reference  to  the  potter  is  so  much  like  what  we 
see  to-day  that  we  give  it  in  full:  “The  word  which  came 
to  Jeremiah  from  the  Lord,  saying,  Arise,  and  go  down  to 
the  potter’s  house,  and  there  I will  cause  thee  to  hear  my 
words.  Then  I went  down  to  the  potter’s  house,  and,  be- 
hold, he  wrought  a work  on  the  wheels.  And  the  vessel 
that  he  made  of  clay  was  marred  in  the  hand  of  the  pot- 
ter: so  he  made  it  again  another  vessel,  as  seemed  good  to 
the  potter  to  make  it.  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 
to  me,  saying,  O house  of  Israel,  cannot  I do  with  you  as 
this  potter?  saith  the  Lord.  Behold,  as  the  clay  is  in  the 
potter’s  hand,  so  are  ye  in  mine  hand,  O house  of  Israel.” 
Jer.  18:  1-6. 

How  natural  it  all  seems  now  as  we  stand  here  watch- 
ing the  potter  shaping  the  vessels  and  making  of  the  clay 
such  forms  as  he  will.  Even  while  we  watch  him  one  form 
is  marred  in  his  hand  and  the  clay  is  massed  into  a ball 
again,  another  cone  is  formed,  “and  he  made  it  again  an- 
other vessel.”  How  absolute  is  the  power  of  the  potter 
over  the  clay,  and  how  pliant  is  the  clay  in  his  hand;  but 
not  more  so  than  we  should  be  in  the  hands  of  God.  Paul 
refers  to  this  when  he  says,  “ Nay  but,  O man,  who  art  thou 
that  repliest  against  God?  Shall  the  thing  formed  say  to 
him  that  formed  it,  Why  hast  thou  made  me  thus?  Hath 
not  the  potter  power  over  the  clay,  of  the  same  lump  to 
make  one  vessel  unto  honour,  and  another  unto  dishon- 
our? ” Rom.  9:  20,  21.  To  those  who  are  unwilling  to 
make  a complete  surrender  of  self  to  God  this  Scripture 
may  seem  hard  to  understand.  It  means  nothing  more  or 
less  than  self-abnegation  and  a willing  and  cheerful  obedi- 
ence to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel. 

The  pottery  is  made  thin,  is  very  fragile  and  is  easily 
broken.  Much  of  it  is  baked  in  the  sun,  and  this  also  ac- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


329 


counts  for  the  ease  with  which  it  is  broken.  It  is  very 
cheap.  We  found  upon  inquiring  that  a water  bottle  hold- 
ing half  a gallon  was  sold  at  retail  for  half  a piaster,  a little 
over  two  cents.  The  cheapness  and  fragility  ot  the  pot- 
ter’s ware  are  often  referred  to  in  the  Bible.  According  to 
the  law,  every  earthen  vessel  into  which  any  unclean  thing 
had  fallen  was  at  once  to  be  broken  in  pieces.*  The  pot- 
tery was  so  cheap  that  it  was  better  to  break  an  unclean 
vessel  than  to  attempt  to  purify  it. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  speaks  in  this  manner  of  the  pot- 
ter’s vessel:  “And  he  shall  break  it  as  the  breaking  of  the 
potter’s  vessel  that  is  broken  in  pieces;  he  shall  not  spare: 
so  that  there  shall  not  be  found  in  the  bursting  of  it  a sherd 
to  take  fire  from  the  hearth,  or  to  take  water  withal  out  of 
the  pit.”  Isa.  30:  14.  On  this  passage  Dr.  Thomson  re- 
lates what  he  saw  in  Joppa,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  Bible 
Lands.  Referring  to  the  “sherd  to  take  fire  from  the  hearth, 
or  to  take  water  withal  out  of  the  pit,”  he  says:  “It  is  very 
common  to  find  at  the  spring  or  the  pit  pieces  of  broken 
jars,  to  use  as  ladles,  either  to  drink  from  or  to  fill  with;  and 
bits  of  fractured  jars  are  pteserved  for  this  purpose.  If 
you  take  your  stand  near  any  of  the  public  ovens  here  in 
Joppa  in  the  evening,  you  will  see  the  children  of  the  poor 
coming  with  sherds  of  pottery  in  their  hands,  into  which 
the  baker  pours  a small  quantity  of  hot  embers  and  a few 
coals  with  which  to  warm  up  their  evening  meal.  Isaiah’s 
vessels,  however,  were  to  be  broken  into  such  small  bits 
that  there  would  not  be  a sherd  of  sufficient  size  to  carry 
away  a few  embers  from  the  hearth,  nor  to  take  water  out 
of  the  pit.  These  comparisons  are  exceedingly  expressive 
where  the  actions  referred  to  are  of  constant  occurrence, 
as  they  are  throughout  this  country  at  the  present  day.”f 


*Lev.  11:  33.  f“  The  Land  and  the  Book,”  page  37. 


330 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


We  left  the  potter  at  his  wheel  after  giving  him  the 
customary  backsheesh;  for  a gift  is  demanded  if  you  but 
stop  and  look  at  a man  at  work.  He  seems  to  feel  that  he 
has  conferred  a favor  upon  you  and  that  you  should  pay 
him  for  it.  Carrying  with  us  the  lesson  drawn  from  him  by 
the  inspired  writers  of  the  Bible,  we  had  a desire  to  carry 
some  of  his  wares  with  us  also,  but  owing  to  their  fragile 
nature  we  thought  it  best  not  to  try  to  do  so. 

And  now  our  Nile  journey  ends  where  it  began  a 
month  ago,  at  the  City  of  Cairo.  It  has  been  a month  of 
hard  work,  of  much  sight-seeing,  but  withal  of  intense  in- 
terest to  the  writer.  During  the  month  we  traveled  by 
steamboat,  on  donkeys  and  camels,  and  on  foot  a distance 
of  some  two  thousand  miles.  We  know  that  our  readers 
cannot  take  the  interest  in  reading  these  sketches  that 
comes  to  us  on  the  journey,  but  we  write  with  the  hope  that 
they  will  prove,  to  some  degree,  interesting  and  instructive. 
Our  aim  is  not  to  amuse,  but  to  give  facts  and  draw  lessons 
that  may  be  helpful  to  Christians.  The  Lord  prospered 
our  journey.  The  Elder  was  indisposed  a few  days,  the  re- 
sult of  fatiguing  work;  saving  this,  we  enjoyed  excellent 
health  on  the  entire  journey.  For  these  privileges  which 
we  have  enjoyed  and  for  the  blessings  vouchsafed  to  us  we 
thank  the  Giver  of  all  good. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


The  Coptic  Church. — The  Banished  Patriarch.— An  Interview  with 
his  Representative. — The  Doctrines  of  the  Coptic  Faith. — Trine 
Immersion  and  Feelwashing. — Innovations. — A Church  Difficulty. 
— Heliopolis. — An  Ancient  Sycamore  Tree. — The  Lone  Obelisk. — 
The  Fulfillment  of  Prophecy. — Lack  of  Bible  Knowledge. 


none  of  its  interest  during  our  ab- 


sence, and  our  second  visit  is  even  more  enjoyable 


and  pleasant  than  the  first.  We  are  now  some- 
what acquainted  with  the  place  and  the  peculiar  loneliness 
which  comes  to  the  traveler  when  he  finds  himself  in  a 
large  city  with  which  he  is  wholly  unacquainted,  not  even 
understanding  the  language  spoken,  has  gone,  and  we  feel 
that  we  know  our  ground.  Our  stay  in  the  city  was  none 
too  long  to  become  at  all  familiar  with  life  in  the  capital 
of  modern  Egypt. 

The  Copts  are  an  interesting  portion  of  tho  population 
of  Cairo.  When  Christianity  was  introduced  into  Egypt  it 
found  a ready  and  joyful  acceptance  among  the  descend- 
ants of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  Regarding  life  as  a pil- 
grimage to  the  grave,  and  as  a time  for  preparation  for  an- 
other world,  and  having  a faint  belief  in  immortality  and 
the  resurrection,  it  was  an  easy  matter  for  them  to  grasp 
these  principles  of  Christianity.  Then,  too,  their  ancient 
religion  had  degenerated  into  the  lowest  form  of  idolatry. 
With  hundreds  of  gods  to  be  worshiped,  and  a host  of  self- 
seeking  priests  who  designedly  kept  the  truth  from  the 
people  in  order  that  they  might  be  supported,  it  is  not 


332 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


strange  that  they  readily  accepted  the  simple  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel.  The  new  faith  was  simple  and  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  the  rich  and  poor  alike,  bringing  them  freedom 
from  priestcraft  and  the  blessing  of  salvation.  The  early 
Christians  were  not  disturbed  by  speculative  theology  and 
dogmatic  discussions.  They  were  satisfied  with  the  plain 
words  of  the  Gospel  and  cheerfully  and  willingly  obeyed 
its  commands.  But  as  time  passed  on  the  church  grew  in 
numbers  and  in  worldly  wisdom.  Questions  as  to  the  na- 
ture of  Christ,  the  time  for  observing  the  Lord’s  Supper, 
the  presence  of  the  body  of  Christ  in  the  bread  of  the  Com- 
munion, and  other  questions  of  like  character  disturbed  the 
peace  of  the  church.  One  of  these  questions, — that  of  the 
nature  of  Christ, — was  destined  to  make  a division  in  the 
church.  It  was  discussed  for  a long  time  and  finally,  in 
451,  the  Great  Council  of  Chalcedon  affirmed  the  doctrine 
that  Christ  was  both  human  and  divine.  The  Egyptians, 
with  characteristic  tenacity,  clung  to  the  teaching  of  Euty- 
chus,  who  taught  them  to  revere  only  the  divine  nature  of 
the  Savior.  The  contention  grew  warm  and  resulted  in 
the  excommunication  of  the  Egyptian  church  as  heretical, 
and  here  we  have  the  beginning  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Coptic  church. 

After  the  excommunication  they  suffered  much  from 
persecution,  and  during  the  sixth  century  thousands  of 
them  lost  their  lives  in  defense  of  their  doctrines.  The 
name  is  simply  an  Arabic  corruption  of  the  Greek  name  of 
Egyptians,  and  among  the  Copts  are  to  be  found  the  direct 
descendants  of  the  Pharaohs.  They  have  also  preserved, 
in  their  rituals  and  in  their  printed  Scripture,  the  language 
of  old  Egypt.  The  representative  of  the  patriarch  of  the 
Copt  church  at  Cairo  told  us  that  at  the  present  time  they 
number  seven  hundred  thousand;  but  as  the  census  is  not 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  333 

accurately  taken  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  reliability  of 
this  statement. 

On  our  journey  up  the  Nile  we  attended  services  in  a 
Coptic  church  at  Luxor  on  Christmas  Eve  and  were  much 
interested  in  what  we  saw  and  heard.  And  now,  by  special 
appointment,  we  have  an  interview  with  the  representative 
of  the  patriarch,  who  is  at  this  time  living  in  banishment  in 
one  of  the  convents  in  the  desert,  leaving  the  management 
of  his  affairs  at  Cairo  in  the  hands  of  an  archbishop. 

We  take  with  us,  as  interpreter,  Selim  Aklam,  a native 
of  Damascus.  He  is  a graduate  of  the  American  mission 
school  at  Beyrut  and  we  find  him  obliging  and  ^capable. 
He  is  well  informed  as  to  the  history  of  the  Coptic  church 
and  gives  us  much  valuable  information.  We  call  on  the 
archbishop  who  is  acting  instead  of  the  banished  patriarch. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Coptic  College  at  Cairo.  We 
are  very  cordially  and  kindly  welcomed.  Sweetmeats  and 
coffee  are  served  and  we  are  made  to  feel  very  much  at 
home.  We  find  the  archbishop  to  be  a very  pleasant  and 
well-informed  man.  He  wears  a full  beard,  as  all  Orientals 
do,  and  his  kindly  face  is  pleasant  to  look  upon.  He  has 
passed  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  life,  all  the  mature  years  of 
which  he  has  given  to  the  service  of  the  Coptic  church. 
We  spent  some  time  with  him,  asking  questions  and  re- 
ceiving answers  through  our  interpreter,  Selim.  The  result 
of  our  interview,  of  which  we  took  copious  notes,  is  briefly 
given  as  follows: 

The  patriarch  of  the  Coptic  church,  who  has  spiritual 
jurisdiction  over  the  entire  fraternity,  is  elected  from 
among  their  own  number  by  the  monks  of  the  five  monas- 
teries belonging  to  the  church.  He  must  be  unmarried, 
and  is  usually  eminent  among  his  own  class  for  piety  and 
wisdom.  He  is  regarded  as  the  spiritual  head  of  the  visi- 


334 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ble  church  and  respect  and  veneration  are  usually  shown 
him  by  all  the  Copts.  The  bishops  and  ministers  must  be 
married  men,  and  no  one  who  is  unmarried  can  be  ordained 
to  either  of  these  offices.  If  the  wife  of  a bishop  or  minis- 
ter dies,  the  survivor  is  not  allowed  to  remarry.  They  thus 
hold  literally  to  the  words  of  the  apostle  in  his  qualifica- 
tions of  a bishop  when  he  says  he  must  be  the  husband  of 
one  wife. 

They  believe  and  teach  that  the  Savior  was  wholly  di- 
vine in  his  nature,  holding  that  the  divinity  of  the  Son  of 
God  entirely  absorbed  every  element  of  human  nature,  and 
that  he  was  begotten  of  God,  hence  very  God.  It  was  this 
particular  article  of  faith  which  resulted  in  the  expulsion  of 
the  Egyptian  church  as  heretics  by  the  Great  Council  of 
Chalcedon,  A.  D.  451,  and  the  Coptic  church  holds  with 
wonderful  tenacity  to  this  doctrine  even  to  the  present 
time. 

They  look  upon  all  who  have  not  been  dipped  in  the 
water  into  each  of  the  three  names  of  the  Holy  Trinity  as 
unbaptized  heretics.  For  their  authority  for  the  three  dip- 
pings they  refer  to  the  commission  given  by  Christ  to  hi-s 
disciples.  They  also  claim  to  have  kept  this  form  of  bap- 
tism from  the  beginning  as  it  was  delivered  to  them  by  the 
apostolic  church,  and  say  they  propose  to  cling  to  it  unto 
the  end.  In  practice,  the  candidate  is  taken  down  into  the 
water  and  dipped  three  times  face  forward. 

Twice  each  year,  on  Thursday  before  Easter  Sunday 
and  on  Christmas  evening,  which  according  to  their  calen- 
dar (the  old  style)  occurs  Jan.  C,  they  engage  in  the  relig- 
ious rite  of  feet-washing.  In  this  they  claim  to  follow  the 
example  and  command  of  Christ  as  given  in  John  13 
They  regard  it  as  a doctrine  of  their  church.  In  the  ob- 
servance of  this  rite  the  bishops,  ministers  and  deacons  do 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  335 

the  washing,  and  every  member  of  the  Coptic  church  may 
have  his  feet  washed.  During  the  observance  of  the  rite 
they  salute  each  other  with  the  right  hand  of  fellowship 
and  the  kiss  of  peace. 


A Coptic  Woman. 

The  Communion  is  administered  much  in  the  same  way 
as  in  the  Roman  church.  Mass  is  said,  and  there  is  much 


336 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


formality  connected  with  this  part  of  the  religious  service. 
They  keep  the  agape  or  feast  of  love  as  a social  meal.  It 
is  observed  in  the  monasteries  where  the  food  is  brought  by 
those  who  come  together. 

These  are  some  of  the  more  important  doctrines  held 
by  the  Coptic  church.  Living  in  Egypt  where,  until  with- 
in a few  years,  they  have  been  entirely  deprived  of  educa- 
tional advantages,  they  are,  as  might  be  expected,  densely 
ignorant.  They  have  kept  some  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  intact,  but  there  are  to  be  found  in  their  practice 
many  innovations  that  are  not  Scriptural.  At  one  time 
they  practiced  circumcision,  but  in  later  years  this  has  been 
entirely  given  up. 

They  also  baptize  infants.  Living,  as  they  do,  in  con- 
tact with  Islamism  they  have  to  some  extent  been  influ- 
enced by  its  teaching.  This  is  noticeable  at  some  places 
where  the  practice  of  polygamy  is  permitted  among  the 
laymembers. 

They  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and 
we  were  often  struck  by  the  peculiar  type  of  face.  They 
bear  a striking  resemblance  to  the  faces  painted  on  the 
walls  of  the  ancient  temples.  In  some  instances  the  faces 
are  strikingly  beautiful. 

A conflict  is  now  going  on  in  the  church.  The  patri- 
arch has  gradually  grown  in  power  until  he  has  assumed 
the  functions  of  a pope.  He  opposes  education  and  ad- 
vancement. A reform  party  started  some  years  ago. 
They  advocate  education  and  a council  by  which  the  church 
is  to  be  controlled  in  the  future.  Many  of  the  ministers 
among  the  Copts  are  unable  to  read  or  write.  They  learn 
the  liturgies  by  rote  and  are  then  qualified  to  serve  the 
church.  The  reformers  want  to  educate  the  ministry. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  I.ANDS.  337 

They  want  them  all  to  be  able  to  read  and  write  and  to 
have  Bible  training. 

A college  has  been  started  at  Cairo  for  this  purpose. 
All  of  these  things  the  patriarch  opposes.  He  insists  that 
his  power  must  not  be  disturbed  and  that  education  is  an 
innovation  which  must  not  be  admitted  into  the  church, 
The  conflict  grew  warm,  and  finally  the  patriarch  excom- 
municated the  bishops  who  were  moving  in  the  reform. 
They  held  a council  and  called  upon  the  Khedive  to  help 
them.  He  did  so  by  banishing  the  patriarch  to  one  of  the 
monasteries  in  the  desert.  Thereupon  the  council  appoint- 
ed a man  in  his  place.  The  patriarch  from  his  place  of  re- 
tirement issued  an  order  excommunicating  the  acting 
patriarch  and  all  who  upheld  him.  So  the  conflict  waged, 
destroying  the  peace  of  the  Coptic  community.  This  ac- 
counts for  our  interview  with  the  representative  instead  of 
the  patriarch  himself.  These  stirring  events  occurred  in  the 
Coptic  church  while  we  were  in  Egypt.  The  sequel  to  the 
whole  matter  was  that  the  patriarch  agreed  to  the  condi- 
tions of  the  reformers  and  was  recalled  from  banishment. 
The  Cairo  papers  which  we  saw  at  Jerusalem  gave  a long 
account  of  the  reception  of  the  patriarch  on  his  return  from 
banishment.  There  was  great  rejoicing  among  the  Copts 
because  the  trouble  had  been  settled  and  their  patriarch 
was  with  them  again. 

The  conflict  and  consequent  difficulty  in  the  Coptic 
church  seems  to  be  only  what  befalls  all  religious  organiza- 
tions when  human  agencies  become  dominant.  The  divine 
and  not  the  human  should  rule  in  the  church,  and  when 
this  is  the  case  peace  and  harmony  prevail  and  the  church 
prospers, 


338 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


HELIOPOLIS. 

Whilst  Cairo  itself  contains  none  of  the  ruins  of  an- 
cient Egypt,  yet  it  stands,  as  we  have  seen,  within  a short 
distance  of  Memphis,  Sakkara,  the  pyramids  great  and 
small,  the  Sphinx  and,  last  but  by  no  means  least  in  gener- 
al interest,  Heliopolis,  the  On  of  the  Bible.  The  Egyp- 
tians called  the  place  “ The  dwelling  or  seat  of  Ra 
(Helios),  and  the  Hebrews  gave  it  the  name  of  On,  “And 
Pharaoh  called  Joseph’s  name  Zaphnath-paaneah;  * and  he 
gave  him  to  wife  Asenath  the  daughter  of  Poti-pherah 
priest  of  On.”  Gen.  41:  45. 

At  On  was  the  magnificent  temple  of  the  sun,  and 
there  was  also  located  the  most  noted  school  and  universi- 
ty of  ancient  Egypt.  It  was  at  On,  as  Mariette  tells  us, 
that  Moses  was  instructed  in  all  “the  learning  of  Egypt.” 
To  this  great  center  of  learning  and  culture  came  men  from 
ill  parts  of  the  blast  to  learn  the  mystic  lore  of  the  priests, 
and  the  arts  of  the  magicians  and  sorcerers  of  the  school  of 
Jannes  and  Jambres  who  withstood  Moses  and  Aaron  before 
Pharaoh.  But  the  magnificent  temple  which  stood  here 
was  the  wealthiest  and  most  noted  in  all  the  land  of  the 
Pharaohs.  “The  immense  wealth  of  this  noted  shrine  is 
mentioned  in  the  Harris  papyrus  in  London,  which  gives  a 
list  of  the  gifts  presented  to  it  by  Raineses  III  alone.  The 
staff  of  priests,  officials,  custodians,  and  menials  connected 
with  the  temple  is  said  to  have  numbered  no  less  than 
twelve  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  thirteen.  As  each  Pha- 
raoh was  regarded  as  the  human  embodiment  of  Ra,  it  was 
natural  that  he  should  present  special  offerings  to  the  chief 
scene  of  the  worship  of  that  god,  and  should  proudly  add 
to  his  titles  that  of  ‘ Lord  of  Heliopolis.’  The  most  cele- 

* In  the  Coptic  this  name  signifies,  a revealer  of  secrets,  or  the  man  to  whom  secrets 
arc  revealed , 


The  Obelisk  at  On. 


WANDER  I NGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


341 


brated  of  the  ancient  schools,  with  the  teachers  of  which 
Herodotus  once  conversed,  was  also  established  at  Heliop- 
olis, while  in  Strabo’s  time,  born  B.  C.  60,  the  famous  seat 
of  learning  had  ceased  to  exist,  although  the  houses  of  the 
priestly  scholars  were  still  standing.  The  guides  showed 
the  great  geographer  the  dwelling  in  which  Plato  and  Eu- 
doxus were  said  to  have  resided  for  thirteen  years;  ‘ for,’  he 
says,  speaking  of  the  professors  at  this  university,  ‘ these 
persons,  so  admirably  imbued  with  knowledge  of  heavenly 
things,  could  only  be  persuaded  by  patience  and  politeness 
to  communicate  some  of  their  doctrines;  but  most  of  them 
were  concealed  by  these  barbarians.’  Obelisks,  the  em- 
blems of  the  sun’s  rays,  were  of  course  frequently  dedicat- 
ed to  the  god  of  the  sun  and  his  temple;  and  we  are  ac- 
cordingly informed  that  Heliopolis  was  full  of  obelisks.”* 

Of  the  many  obelisks  which  once  stood  at  Heliopolis 
there  is  but  one  left,  the  solitary  survivor  of  the  departed 
greatness  of  the  City  of  the  Sun.  The  annexed  photo- 
graph, so  beautifully  reproduced  on  page  339  gives  us  an 
exact  picture  of  the  lonely  obelisk. 

A visit  to  Heliopolis,  which  is  five  and  a half  miles 
from  Cairo,  leads  us  through  a richly-cultivated  district. 
The  soil  is  remarkable  for  its  fertility.  The  road  is  lined 
on  either  side  with  acacia  and  tamarisk  trees  which  afford 
a delightful  shade  and  shield  us  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
As  the  road  leads  to  one  of  the  Khedive’s  palaces  it  is  well 
kept  up  and  affords  a most  delightful  drive.  On  either 
side  are  fine  groves  of  orange,  lemon  and  pomegranate 
trees.  At  the  Khedive’s  garden  we  stop  and  for  a small 
sum  of  money  purchase  from  an  attendant  a lot  of  the  lus- 
cious fruit.  The  flavor  is  exceedingly  fine  and  the  oranges 
equal  the  famous  fruit  of  Joppa  and  Florida. 


* Baedeker,  “ Lower  Egypt.”  page  334. 


342 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


We  now  come  in  sight  of  the  sandy  desert  which 
bounds  Egypt  on  every  side.  Before  entering  upon  the 
desert,  however,  we  come  to  a small  garden,  in  the  midst  of 
which  stands  a very  cld  sycamore  tree.  It  is  knotted  and 
gnarled  and  props  are  placed  under  its  aged  limbs  to  keep 
them  from  breaking  away  from  the  trunk  of  the  old  tree. 
According  to  an  old  tradition  it  was  beneath  the  shade  of 
this  tree  that  Joseph  and  Mary  with  the  infant  Savior  rest- 
ed in  their  flight  to  Egypt.  The  tree  itself,  although  of 
great  age,  is  not  as  old  as  the  tradition  affirms.  Some  de- 
gree of  probability  is  given  to  the  legend  from  the  fact 
that  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era  there  was  a 
large  Jewish  settlement  at  this  place,  and  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  Joseph  would  have  taken  his  young  wife  and 
her  babe  to  his  own  people. 

Only  a short  distance  from  the  garden  stands  the  obe- 
lisk of  On.  With  the  remains  of  a wall  now  nearly  covered 
it  is  all  that  remains  of  the  magnificent  temple,  the  great 
colleges,  the  many  obelisks  of  the  great  City  of  Heliopolis. 
The  obelisk  is  the  oldest  yet  discovered  in  Egypt.  It  is  a 
single  shaft  of  red  granite  cut  from  the  quarries  at  Syene 
(Assuan)  and  is  sixty-six  feet  high.  It  was  floated  down 
the  Nile  and  set  up  at  Heliopolis  nearly  four  thousand 
years  ago,  and  here  it  has  stood  a silent  witness  to  all  the 
events  of  the  last  forty  centuries.  It  stood  here  when 
Abraham  brought  his  beautiful  wife  Sarah  down  into  Egypt 
to  escape  the  famine  in  the  Land  of  Canaan;  it  stood  here 
when  the  lad  Joseph  was  sold  as  a slave  to  Potiphar,  and 
afterwards  was  a witness  of  his  wonderful  success  as  a ruler 
of  Egypt;  it  stood  here  when  Moses  was  a student  in  the 
great  university  of  On,  and  he  doubtless  walked  by  its  base 
many  times  when  he  was  a schoolboy  learning  the  wisdom 
of  the  Egyptians;  it  stood  here  when  Christ  was  born,  and 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


343 


looked  down  upon  the  father  and  mother  with  their  babe 
when  they  fled  into  Egypt  to  escape  the  savage  cruelty  of 
Herod;  and  it  stands  here  to-day  a monument  of  the  great- 
ness of  a departed  race,  and  in  a remarkable  manner  bears 
witness  that  the  Book  of  God  is  true;  for  the  prophet  of 
God  said,  “ He  shall  break  also  the  images  of  Beth- 
shemesh,*  that  is  in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  the  houses  of 
the  gods  of  the  Egyptians  shall  he  burn  with  fire.”  Jer. 
43:  13.  The  glory  of  Heliopolis  has  long  since  departed, 
the  images  are  broken  in  Beth-shemesh  and  the  houses  of 
her  gods  are  burned  with  fire.  The  obelisk  saw  the  fulfill- 
ment of  this  prophecy,  and  is  all  that  is  left  of  the  an- 
cient City  of  the  Sun. 

Dr.  Schaff  relates  the  following  amusing  incident 
which  came  under  his  observation  at  Heliopolis.  It  illus- 
trates how  little  some  travelers  know  about  the  Bible.  He 
says:  “A  rich  California  gold  miner,  who  had  some  con- 
fused recollections  of  his  Sunday-school  lessons  in  early 
youth,  and  was  traveling  in  Egypt  with  some  friends,  when 
informed  that  Joseph  got  his  wife  at  this  place  and  that  she 
was  the  daughter  of  a priest,  was  quite  astonished,  and  in- 
dignantly asked,  ‘ Was  Mary  Magdalene  that  married 
Joseph , the  daughter  of  a priest?’  The  same  gentleman, 
when  crossing  the  delta,  remarked,  ‘ We  shall  soon  pass  the 
Jordan .’  ‘No,’  said  his  friend,  ‘ the  Jordan  is  a river  in  Pal- 

estine.’ ‘ You  are  right,’  he  replied,  ‘it  was  the  Danube  I 
meant.’  I met  this  traveler  in  the  Mediterranean  Hotel  in 
Jerusalem,  when  he  gave  the  company  at  the  dinner  table 
the  important  piece  of  information  that  he  had  just  visited 
Aceldama,  ‘the  famous  place  which  Judas  sold  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver.’  I felt  quite  ashamed  of  America,  but  was 


* Heliopolis  is  here  translated  Beth-shemesh,  which  means  literally  the  house  of  the 
sun.  On  is  derived  from  the  “ Abode  of  the  Sun.”  Both  words  refer  to  the  same  place. 


344 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


somewhat  relieved  afterward  when  I asked  an  English  trav- 
eler whether  he  had  passed  through  the  desert  and  visited 
Mount  Sinai,  and  was  told  that  he  really  did  not  remember, 
and  ‘ must  first  look  up  his  journal.’  ” 

Very  much  like  these  men  are  those  persons  who  criti- 
cise the  Bible  and  have  never  carefully  examined  the  Book 
and  the  abundant  evidences  of  its  credibility.  It  would 
seem  to  be  the  height  of  folly  for  any  one  to  condemn  a 
work  without  having  first  examined  it  and  carefully 
weighed  all  the  testimony  of  its  truthfulness;  but  we  meet 
men  almost  entirely  ignorant  of  the  Bible  who  say  they  do 
not  believe  it.  They  have  acquired  a number  of  the  stock 
phrases  of  infidel  writers  and  their  objections  to  the  Bible, 
which  have  been  met  and  answered  many  times,  and  with 
these  they  assail  a work  which  they  have  never  examined. 
This  is  true  of  hundreds  of  men,  young  and  old,  who  are 
found  in  the  ranks  of  infidelity  to-day.  All  that  is  needed 
to  prove  this  statement  is  to  quote  the  Bible  to  them  and 
ask  them  some  questions  as  to  its  contents,  and  their  igno- 
rance of  the  Book  they  condemn  will  soon  be  apparent. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


The  Mohammedan  Religion. — The  Koran  and  the  Bible  Compared. — 
The  Doctrines  of  Is lamism. — The  Belief  in  Paradise  and  in  Hell. 
— Hours  of  Prayer. — The  Dervishes.  — Degradation  of  Women.  — 
The  Mohammedan  University  at  Cairo.  — Self-denial  of  Teachers 
and  Students. — The  Koran  the  Text-book.  — Intellectual  Condition 
of  the  Mosletns. 


AIRO  is  the  center  of  the  Moslem  religion  in  Egypt, 
and  while  traveling  in  the  East  we  had  an  opportu- 
<Y  nity  of  seeing  something  of  the  general  character  of 
Mohammedanism.  VVe  give  our  readers  the  views 
of  Dr.  Schaff  on  the  subject.  The  Doctor  made  a careful 
study  of  the  subject  and  we  quote  him,  with  some  changes: 

The  Mohammedan  religion  is  composed  of  Jewish 
monotheism,  heathen  sensuality  and  spurious  Christianity, 
pervaded  by  devotion  to  Mohammed,  the  poet  and  false 
prophet  of  Arabia.  It  may  be  called  a bastard  Judaism,  as 
the  Arabs  are  Ishmaelites,  or  children  of  the  bastard  son  of 
Abraham. 

The  Koran  is  the  bible  of  the  Moslems,  who  believe  it 
to  be  literally  and  verbally  inspired,  infallible,  and  a uni- 
versal guide  in  religion,  morals,  grammar,  philosophy,  and 
government.  They  hold  that  the  words  of  the  Koran  are 
inspired,  hence  it  is  too  sacred  to  be  translated  or  printed; 
but  it  has  often  been  translated  by  Christian  scholars  from 
the  Arabic  into  modern  languages. 

The  Koran  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  great  books  of 
the  world,  as  men  count  greatness.  It  has  left  its  impress 
34S 


346 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


upon  ages.  It  feeds  the  devotion  and  regulates  the  lives  of 
more  than  a hundred  million  human  beings.  It  has  many 
passages  of  poetic  beauty,  religious  fervor,  and  wise  coun- 
sel, but  mixed  with  absurdities,  bombast,  unmeaning  ima- 
ges, and  low  sensuality.  It  abounds  in  repetitions  and 
contradictions  which  are  not  removed  by  the  convenient 
theory  of  abrogation.  It  alternately  attracts  and  repels 
and  is  a most  wearisome  book  to  read.  Gibbon  says,  “The 
Koran  is  a glorious  testimony  to  the  unity  of  God,”  but 
calls  it  also,  very  properly,  “an  endless  incoherent  rhap- 
sody of  fable  and  precept  and  declamations  which  seldom 
excites  a sentiment  or  idea,  which  sometimes  crawls  in  the 
dust,  and  is  sometimes  lost  in  the  clouds.”  Reiske  de- 
nounces it  as  the  most  absurd  book,  and  a scourge  to  a 
reader  of  sound  common  sense.  Goethe  characterizes  the 
style  as  severe,  great,  terrible,  and  at  times  truly  sublime. 
But  this  is  too  much  praise. 

Of  all  books,  not  excluding  the  Vedas,  the  Koran  is 
the  most  powerful  rival  of  the  Bible,  but  falls  infinitely  be- 
low it  in  contents  and  form.  Both  are  thoroughly  oriental 
in  style  and  imagery,  and  were  born  under  similar  condi- 
tions of  soil,  climate,  and  habits  of  life.  Both  contain  the 
moral  and  religious  code  of  the  nations  which  own  them; 
the  Koran,  like  the  Old  Testament,  is  also  a civil  code,  for 
in  Mohammedan  countries  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  gov- 
ernments are  one.  Both  have  the  freshness  of  occasional 
composition  growing  out  of  a definite  historical  situation 
and  specific  wants.  But  the  Bible  is  the  genuine  revelation 
in  Christ  of  the  only  true  God;  the  Koran  is  a mock  revela- 
tion, without  Christ  and  without  atonement.  The  Bible  is 
historical,  and  embodies  the  noblest  aspirations  of  the  hu- 
man race  in  all  ages  to  the  final  consummation;  the  Koran 
begins  and  stops  with  Mohammed.  The  Bible  combines 


WANDERINGS  IN'  BIBLE  LANDS. 


347 


endless  variety  with  unity,  universal  applicability  with  local 
adaptation;  the  Koran  is  uniform  and  monotonous,  confined 
to  one  country,  one  state  of  society,  and  one  class  of  minds. 
The  Bible  is  the  book  of  the  world,  and  is  constantly  trav- 
eling to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  carrying  spiritual  food  to  all 
classes  of  the  people;  the  Koran  stays  at  home,  and  is  in- 
sipid to  all  who  have  once  fully  tasted  the  true  Word  of  the 
living  God.  Even  the  poetry  of  the  Koran  never  rises  to 
the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  Job  or  Isaiah,  the  lyric  beau- 
ty of  the  Psalms,  the  sweetness  and  loveliness  of  the  Song 
of  Solomon,  the  sententious  wisdom  of  the  Proverbs  and 
Plcclesiastes. 

A few  instances  must  suffice. 

The  first  Sura,  called  “The  Sura  of  Praise  and  Prayer,’’ 
which  is  recited  by  the  Mussulmans  in  each  of  the  five  dai- 
ly devotions,  fills  for  them  the  place  of  the  Lord’s  Prayer, 
and  contains  the  same  number  of  petitions.  We  give  it  in 
a literal  translation: 

“ i.  In  the  name  of  Allah,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

2.  Praise  be  to  Allah,  Lord  of  the  worlds! 

3.  The  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

4.  King  on  the  day  of  reckoning! 

5.  Thee  only  do  we  worship,  and  to  thee  do  we  cry  for  help. 

6.  Guide  thou  us  on  the  straight  path. 

7.  The  path  of  those  to  whom  thou  hast  been  gracious — 

With  w'hom  thou  art  not  angry, 

And  who  go  not  astray.  Amen.” 

As  this  Sura  invites  a comparison  with  the  Lord’s 
Prayer,  infinitely  to  the  advantage  of  the  latter,  so  do  the 
Koran’s  descriptions  of  Paradise  when  contrasted ' with 
John’s  vision  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem: 

“ Joyous  on  that  day  shall  be  the  inmates  of  Paradise  in  their  employ; 

In  shades,  on  bridal  couches  reclining,  they  and  their  spouses. 

Therein  shall  they  have  fruits,  and  whatever  they  require. 


348 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


‘Peace!  ’ shall  be  the  word  on  the  part  of  a merciful  Lord, 

'But  be  ye  separated  this  day,  O ye  sinners!  ’ 
******* 

The  sincere  servants  of  God, 

A stated  banquet  shall  they  have 
Of  fruits,  and  honored  shall  they-  be 
In  the  gardens  of  delight, 

Upon  couches  face  to  face. 

A cup  shall  be  borne  round  among  them  from  a fountain, 

Limpid,  delicious  to  those  who  drink; 

It  shall  not  oppress  the  sense,  nor  shall  they  therewith  be  drunken, 
And  with  them  are  the  large-eyed  ones  with  modest  refraining  gla  ice 
fair  like  the  sheltered  egg.” 

The  fundamental  dogma  of  Islam  is  contained  in  the 
ever-repeated  phrase,  “There  is  no  deity  but  Allah,  and 
Mohammed  is  his  apostle.”  ( La  ilalia  ill'  allah,  wa  Muluim- 
meda  rrasuld  llah.)  The  first  clause  is  true,  and  borrowed 
from  the  Old  Testament  (Deut.  6:  4);  the  second  clause  is 
an  error  which  corrupts  the  truth.  The  source  of  its  power 
and  the  secret  of  its  success  lie  in  the  intense  and  fanatical 
monotheism  of  Islam.  Its  historical  mission  consists  in  the 
destruction  of  heathen  idolatry.  But  this  monotheism,  like 
the  Jewish  and  the  Unitarian  monotheism,  is  abstract  and 
monotonous.  It  excludes  the  fullness  of  life  and  the  inner- 
trinitarian  relations  as  well  as  the  outer-trinitarian  mani- 
festations of  the  Deity.  It  is  hostile  to  the  divinity  of 
Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Mohammedan  God  is 
not  a loving  father  of  trusting  children,  but  a despotic 
sovereign  of  trembling  subject  slaves.  He  has  from  eterni- 
ty ordained  all  things,  evil  as  well  as  good.  The  Moham- 
medan doctrine  of  predestination  is  not  Calvinistic,  but 
fatalistic.  It  breeds  a fierce  fanaticism  in  the  propagation 
of  religion,  and  a stolid  submission  to  unalterable  fate. 
Islam — that  is,  unconditional  resignation  to  the  unchange- 
able will  of  Allah — is  the  chief  virtue.  He  who  dies  fight- 
ing for  his  faith  is  sure  to  be  saved. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


349 


The  Mohammedan  paradise  is  in  the  seventh  heaven, 
and  is  the  abode  of  perpetual  youth  and  sensual  delight 
for  the  faithful.  Hell  is  beneath  the  lowest  earth  and  seas 
of  darkness,  and  is  a place  for  everlasting  punishment  for 
all  infidels,  with  seven  stages  for  as  many  classes,  viz., 
wicked  Mohammedans,  Christians,  Jews,  Sabians,  Magians, 
idolaters,  hypocrites.  The  bridge  over  hell  is  finer  than  a 
hair  and  sharper  than  the  edge  of  a sword;  the  pious  pass 
over  it  in  a moment,  the  wicked  fall  from  it  into  the  abyss. 
The  Moslems  believe  also  in  pure  angels,  good  and  evil 
genii,  and  devils  whose  chief  is  Iblis,  or  Satan.  They 
believe  in  prophets  and  apostles,  among  whom  Adam, 
Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Jesus,  and  Mohammed  are  the 
greatest.  Jesus  excels  all  except  Mohammed,  of  whom  he 
himself  prophesied  when  he  promised  the  Comforter  who 
should  lead  his  disciples  into  the  whole  truth.  Jesus  was 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  was  free  from  sin,  but  a mere 
man.  He  will  return  again  and  with  Mohammed  judge  the 
whole  world. 

The  principal  duties  enjoined  by  the  Koran  are  prayer, 
almsgiving,  fasting  (during  the  month  of  Ramadan),  and 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca  and  Mount  Arafat  at  least  once  in  a 
man’s  lifetime,  if  possible.  The  less  important  duties  and 
rites  are  abstinence  from  unclean  animal  food,  from  wine 
and  all  intoxicating  liquor,  from  gambling  and  usury;  also 
veracity  (except  in  a few  cases,  and  these  have  multiplied 
to  many),  probity,  charity,  cleanliness,  decent  attire,  cir- 
cumcision. The  law  allows  a man  to  have  four  wives 
(though  most  have  only  one  or  two),  and  as  many  concu- 
bine slaves  as  he  pleases.  Pashas,  khaliffs,  and  sultans  are 
not  restricted  in  polygamy.  Divorce  is  made  easy.  Sons 
inherit  equal  shares,  but  the  share  of  a daughter  is  half 
that  of  a son. 


350 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  Mohammedan  worship  consists  simply  of  prayers, 
with  preparatory  ablutions,  and  occasional  preaching  from 
the  Koran.  It  resembles  the  Jewish  and  Protestant  wor- 
ship, rather  than  the  Roman  or  Greek  Catholic.  There  is 
an  entire  absence  of  symbolical  representations,  which 
might  distract  the  mind  from  the  one  and  only  object  of 
worship.  The  prohibition  in  the  second  commandment  is 
literally  carried  out.  The  Koran  has  no  idea  of  an  atone- 
ment, and  hence  no  room  for  sacrifice,  except  the  com- 
memoration of  Ishmael’s  (Isaac’s)  sacrifice  by  Abraham. 
Allah  is  indeed  “ all  merciful  ” and  forgives  sins,  but  arbi- 
trarily, without  satisfaction  of  his  justice.  In  this  respect, 
as  also  in  the  doctrine  of  the  abstract  unity  of  the  god- 
head, Islam  resembles  Socinianism  and  Unitarianism.  It 
may  be  called  the  great  Unitarian  heresy  of  the  East.  “ In 
the  name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful,”  is  the 
phrase  used  at  the  beginning  of  every  chapter  of  the  Koran 
(except  one),  and  of  every  other  book,  as  also  before 
every  lawful  and  important  act.  The  two  words  are  from 
the  same  root,  and  have  nearly  the  same  meaning,  with 
distinction,  according  to  the  Ulama  (the  professors  of  re- 
ligion and  law),  that  “compassionate”  means  “merciful 
in  great  things,”  the  other  “ merciful  in  small  things.” 
But  Ph  W.  Lane  (the  author  of  that  most  instructive  and 
reliable  book,  “The  Modern  Egyptians,”  and  translator  of 
“The  Thousand  and  One  Nights”)  says  that  “the  first 
expresses  an  occasional  sensation,  the  second  a constant 
quality.” 

Friday  is  observed  as  Sabbath,  because  on  Friday 
Adam  was  created  and  died,  and  on  Friday  the  world  will 
be  judged.  On  that  day  the  Dancing  and  Howling  Der- 
vishes perform  their  unique  exercises,  of  which  I shall 
speak  afterwards.  But  the  observance  of  Friday  is  not 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


351 


nearly  as  strict  as  the  Jewish  observance  of  the  Sabbath. 
On  the  other  hand,  worship  is  not  confined  to  that  day. 
The  mosques,  like  the  Roman  Catholic  churches,  are 
always  open  and  frequented  by  worshipers,  who  perform 
their  devotions  either  in  groups  or  alone. 

The  devotions  of  the  pious  Moslem  are  impressive, 
and  put  many  Christians  to  shame.  He  says  his  prayers 
and  goes  through  his  bowings  and  prostrations  regularly 
and  punctually  five  times  a day,  in  the  mosque,  or  at 
home,  or  on  board  a ship,  or  in  the  street,  or  wherever  he 
may  be,  regardless  of  his  surroundings,  being  alone  with 
his  God  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  his  face  turned  toward 
Mecca,  his  hands  raised  to  heaven,  then  laid  on  the  lap, 
his  knees  bent,  his  forehead  touching  the  ground.  His 
usual  prayer  is  the  first  Sura  of  the  Koran,  which  serves 
him  the  same  purpose  as  the  Lord's  Prayer  does  the  Chris- 
tian. Sometimes  a few  other  verses  are  added,  and  the 
ninety-nine  beautiful  names  of  Allah  which  form  the  Mo- 
hammedan rosary.  There  are  five  stated  hours  of  prayer: 
between  daybreak  and  sunrise,  a little  after  noonday,  in 
the  afternoon,  four  minutes  after  sunset,  and  at  nightfall. 
The  Prophet  fixed  the  seasons  of  prayer  in  this  way  to 
avoid  the  appearance  of  sun  and  star-worship,  which  he 
had  to  contend  with  in  Arabia.  The  mueddin  and  muezzin 
(crier)  announces  the  time  of  prayer  from  the  minaret  of 
each  mosque,  by  chanting  the  “ Adan,”  or  call  to  prayer, 
in  these  or  similar  words:  “ God  is  most  great.  I testify 
that  there  is  no  deity  but  God.  I testify  that  Mohammed 
is  God’s  apostle.  Come  to  prayer!  Come  to  security! 
Prayer  is  better  than  sleeping.  God  is  most  great.  There 
is  no  deity  but  God.” 

Among  the  most  curious  features  of  Mohammedan 
Worship  are  the  exercises  of  the  Dancing  and  Howling 


352 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Dervishes,  which  I witnessed  both  at  Cairo  and  at  Con- 
stantinople (in  Pera  and  Scutari)  on  Friday  and  Tuesday 
afternoon.  The  Dervishes  are  the  Moslem  monks.  They 
perform  their  astounding  feats  of  'asceticism  once  a week 
in  their  mosques,  and  strangers  are  admitted  on  the  pay- 
ment of  a backsheesh.  They  carry  certain  forms  of  ascet- 
icism as  far  as  the  old  Christian  Anchorets  or  the  Fakirs  of 
India. 

The  Dancing  Dervishes,  after  the  preliminary  exercise 
of  prayer  and  prostration,  whirl  around  on  their  toes,  ring 
within  ring  without  touching  each  other,  for  about  an  hour, 
until  they  are  utterly  exhausted.  I saw  thirteen  of  them, 
all  dressed  in  white  flowing  gowns,  and  with  high  white 
fezes  of  stiff  woolen  stuff;  their  hands  were  stretched  out 
or  raised  to  heaven,  their  eyes  half  closed;  their  mind  was 
apparently  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  Allah.  The 
performance  consisted  of  four  different  acts,  and  I counted 
forty  to  fifty  turnings  in  one  minute.  The  spectacle  is 
very  exciting,  and  the  dexterity  and  elasticity  of  their 
bodies  are  astonishing.  The  faces  betrayed  fanatical  de- 
votion. But  to  my  great  amazement,  I saw  the  next  day 
one  of  these  very  Dervishes  in  a state  of  beastly  intoxica- 
tion, reeling  to  and  fro  on  the  large  bridge  of  the  Golden 
Horn  without  observing  anybody.  This  was  a strange 
commentary  on  Mohammedan  temperance.  The  higher 
classes,  I understand,  and  it  would  seem  from  this  excep- 
tional example  even  Dervishes,  freely  indulge  in  the  use 
of  strong  brandy  and  champagne.  The  Howling  Dervishes 
swing'  their  heads  up  and  down,  crying  incessantly  with  all 
their  might,  La  ilalia  ill'  Allah,  and  some  other  phrases, 
until  they  are  stopped  from  sheer  exhaustion. 

In  entering  a mosque,  we  may  keep  on  the  hat  or 
turban,  but  must  take  off  the  shoes,  or  cover  them  with 


The  Howling  Dervishes. 


' 


--  t\  z " • '"t 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


355 


socks,  or  put  on  slippers  in  commemoration  of  the  divine 
command  to  Moses,  “ Put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet, 
for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground.” 
Slippers  or  sandals  of  straw  are  usually  provided  at  the 
entrance  of  these  mosques,  and  must  be  paid  for.  There 
are  always  a half  dozen  claimants  for  backsheesh’. 

Women  are  seldom  seen  in  the  mosques.  The  Koran 
does  not  command  them  to  pray,  and  some  Mohammedan 
philosophers  doubt  whether  women  have  souls.  Yet  they 
are  necessary  for  the  bliss  of  their  Paradise,  where  the 
humblest  believer  is  allowed  eighty  thousand  slaves  and 
seventy-two  wives  besides  those  he  had  in  this  life,  if  he 
chooses  to  keep  them. 

Islam  is  a religion  of  men,  while  Christianity  has  more 
followers  among  women.  The  one  keeps  women  in  a state 
of  slavery  and  ignorance;  the  other  raises  her  to  true  dig- 
nity and  equality  with  man.  In  nothing  is  the  superiority 
of  Christian  civilization  over  Mohammedanism  so  manifest 
as  in  the  position  of  women  and  in  the  home  life.  Polyg- 
amy reduces  woman  to  a mere  slave  and  plaything,  and  is 
a fruitful  source  of  domestic  and  social  misery.  Moham- 
med was  comparatively  temperate,  but  grew  more  sensual 
and  cruel  as  he  advanced  in  life  and  power.  He  was  first 
married  to  a rich  widow  much  older  than  himself  (Chadi- 
jah),  who  bore  him  four  daughters  and  two  sons;  two 
months  after  her  death  he  married  Sawda,  another  widow, 
and  was  betrothed  at  the  same  time  to  a mere  girl  of  six  or 
seven  years,  Ayesha,  whose  jealous  hatred  of  Fatima  (his 
only  surviving  daughter  from  Chadijah)  became  the  cause 
of  perpetual  discords  and  schisms.  He  had  in  all  fifteen 
regular  wives  and  many  concubines.  He  despised  a 
throne  and  a diadem,  he  mended  his  own  clothes,  he 
pegged  his  own  shoes,  he  lived  on  dates  and  water,  in  a 


356 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


poor  cottage,  surrounded  by  the  cottages  of  his  wives  and 
slaves.  His  successors  drink  champagne,  live  in  luxury, 
and  have  dozens  of  palaces  and  harems  filled  with  eunuchs 
and  women  who  know  nothing  beyond  the  vanities  of  eti- 
quette and  dress.  It  is  painful  to  add  that  the  American 
Mohammed,  Brigham  Young,  who  died  in  September, 
1877,  had  nineteen  wives  and  over  fifty  children,  and  left  an 
immense  fortune. 

Mohammed  and  the  savage  sons  of  the  desert,  by  a 
fanatical  faith,  extreme  simplicity  and  temperance,  and 
fierce  bravery,  conquered  the  fairest  portions  of  the  East, 
plundering,  enslaving,  and  destroying  wherever  they  went, 
and  reducing  the  lands  of  the  Bible  to  a dreary  ruin.  His 
successors  at  the  present  day  have  to  live  at  the  mercy  of 
Christian  Europe.  They  have  shamefully  wasted  their  op- 
portunities, and  the  time  of  reckoning  has  come.  The 
Mohammedan  religion  is  indeed  neither  dead  nor  dying;  a 
visit  to  its  old  University  in  Cairo,  with  ten  thousand 
pupils,  and  its  progress  among  the  savage  races  in  Africa, 
are  sufficient  to  prove  its  vitality;  but  it  has  ceased  to  be  a 
terror  and  insult  to  Europe;  it  must  retreat  to  Asia,  it  is 
gradually  undermined  by  changes  in  its  own  strongholds, 
and  before  long  it  will  have  to  open  the  door  for  the  mes- 
sengers of  a purer  Christianity  than  that  which  it  so  easily 
conquered,  not  by  argument  and  persuasion,  but  by  the 
brute  force  of  the  sword,  which  by  the  slow  but  sure 
Nemesis  of  history  is  now  turned  against  it.* 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mohammed,  the  false  proph- 
et who  lived  in  the  seventh  century,  borrowed  from  both 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  in  formulating  his  religious 
system.  What  he  took  from  these  sources  was  added  to 
his  own  views  and  promulgated  jis  a revelation,  From 

^JBchaff,  " Through  Bible  Lands,” 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


357 


time  to  time  what  purported  to  be  new  revelations  were 
added  to  the  Koran.  At  first  he  did  not  permit  polygamy, 
but  in  after  life,  when  he  had  grown  sensual,  he  claimed  to 
have  had  a special  revelation  permitting  him  to  have  as 
many  wives  as  he  pleased.  The  system  is  based  upon 
sensuality,  and  the  slavery  and  degradation  of  women  are 
complete. 

One  among  the  interesting  sights  in  Cairo  is  the 
mosque  El-Azhar  which  was  converted  into  a university 
A.  D.  975.  It  is  said  to  be  the  largest  school  of  the  kind 
in  the  world,  and  is  attended  by  students  from  all  countries 
professing  Islamism.  It  has  ten  thousand  students  in  at- 
tendance. They  are  instructed  by  three  hundred  and 
twenty  teachers  who  are  the  most  fanatical  of  all  Moslems. 
The  Koran  really  is  the  only  text-book  used  in  the  universi- 
ty. It  supplies  the  student  with  grammar,  logic,  law,  phi- 
losophy and  theology.  There  are  other  books,  but  they  are 
simply  commentaries  on  the  Koran  and  its  doctrines.  The 
students  sit  crosslegged  on  mats  with  their  teachers.  The 
latter  read  from  a book,  explaining  each  sentence  as  they 
read;  or  they  direct  the  more  advanced  students  to  read 
aloud,  adding  their  own  explanation  from  time  to  time. 
The  students  listen  attentively,  taking  notes,  and  as  soon 
as  they  can  repeat  the  entire  book  which  they  are  study- 
ing, the  teacher  makes  a note  of  the  fact  in  a copy-book, 
and  authority  to  lecture  upon  the  work  is  conferred  upon 
them.  In  this  way  theology,  law  and  philosophy  are 
taught,  the  source  of  which  is  found  in  the  Koran.  It  may 
be  said  that  when  the  study  of  the  Koran  is  completed 
(and  the  student  must  know  it  by  heart)  the  education  of 
the  young  man  is  completed,  and  lie  goes  forth  as  a teach- 
er of  Mohammedanism, 


Group  of  Students  and  Teachers  in  the  Mohammedan  University,  Cairo. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


359 


The  teachers  receive  no  salary  either  from  the  govern- 
ment or  from  the  university.  They  make  a living  by 
serving  in  some  religious  position  in  the  mosque,  to  which 
a salary  is  attached,  in  copying  books  (the  Koran  is  never 
printed)  and  in  teaching  in  private  families;  and  they 
sometimes  receive  gifts  from  wealthy  students.  They  lead 
lives  of  great  simplicity  and  self-denial.  The  students 
remain  in  the  university  from  three  to  six  years.  They 
pay  no  fees  and  are  in  many  instances  supported  by  alms. 
The  place  is  devoid  of  comfort,  and  no  chairs,  benches, 
cots  or  beds  are  to  be  seen.  They  sleep  on  the  floor,  using 
their  outer  garment  as  a cover.  Dr.  Schaff  says:  “The 
simplicity  and  self-denial  of  this  student  life  is  something 
marvelous.  Our  theological  students  could  not  stand  it 
a week.”  And  we  may  add  that  students  and  teachers  in 
many  of  our  schools  might  learn  useful  lessons  of  self- 
denial  at  the  university  of  El-Azhar. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  in  reality  only  the  Koran 
is  taught  in  the  Mohammedan  schools,  we  may  form  some 
idea  of  the  intellectual  condition  of  the  Moslems  at  the 
present  day.  As  one  writer  has  very  truthfully  said, 
the  most  conspicuous  defect  of  their  culture  consists  in 
the  entire  absence  of  independent  thought,  in  consequence 
of  which  they  are  the  mere  recipients  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  past.  Their  minds  are  thus  exclusively  occupied  with 
the  lowest  grade  of  intellectual  work,  their  principal  task 
consisting  in  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  knowledge 
handed  down  to  them.  Some  of  the  teachers  of  El-Azhar 
are  men  of  marvelous  erudition,  but  they  are  destitute  of 
creative  power,  or  of  the  ability  to  utilize  their  old  mate- 
rials for  the  construction  of  any  new  edifice.  They  adhere 
faithfully  to  the  notion  of  their  forefathers,  that  the  great- 
est triumph  of  mental  labor  is  to  learn  by  heart  any  work 


360 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


of  acknowledged  literary  value.  With  natural  history  they 
are  wholly  unacquainted;  and  even  algebra,  geometry  and 
astronomy,  so  industriously  studied  by  the  ancient  Arabi- 
ans, have  now  fallen  into  oblivion.  So  well  satisfied  are 
they  with  their  own  wisdom  that  they  utterly  despise  the 
scientific  pursuits  of  the  western  world.* 

The  great  university  of  El-Azhar,  as  may  easily  be 
conjectured,  is  a hotbed  of  Moslem  fanaticism,  and  so  long 
as  it  prospers  as  it  now  does  the  doctrines  of  the  false 
prophet  will  not  lack  for  teachers. 

*Baedeicer,  “ Lower  Egypt,”  page  287. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


The  Land  of  Goshen. — Oppression  of  the  Israelites. — The  Buried  Cities 
of  Egypt. — Pithom  and  the  Bricks  made  by  the  Hebrews. — Bricks 
without  Straw. — Tahpanhes  and  Jeremiah  the  Prophet. — The 
Daughters  of  Zedekiah. — The  Stones  hid  in  the  Brick  Work. — 
Zoan. — The  Burned  Papyrus. — Great  Statue  of  Raineses  IT. 


HEN  Jacob  gathered  his  family  together,  left  the 
land  which  God  had  given  to  his  fathers  and  came 
down  into  Egypt,  he  was  kindly  and  courteously 
received  by  Pharaoh.  Although  he  was  a stranger  and  a 
sojourner  in  a strange  land,  yet  he  was  welcomed  as  a 
friend.  The  king  invited  him  to  occupy  the  best  of  the 
country,  even  the  Land  of  Goshen.  It  was  a goodly  land, 
rich  in  pasturage  and  all  agricultural  products.  By  proper 
care  and  irrigation  the  industrious  farmer  might  reap  three 
abundant  harvests  each  year.  The  waters  of  the  Nile  were 
carried  by  a system  of  canals  to  all  parts  of  the  country. 
All  the  conditions  existed  here  to  make  a people  prosper- 
ous and  happy. 

And  here,  in  connection  with  the  coming  of  Jacob  and 
his  sons  into  Egypt,  we  give  the  annexed  engraving  of  the 
arrival  of  a Semitic  family  in  that  country.  It  is  copied 
from  one  of  the  tombs  at  Beni  Hassan.  They  are  shep- 
herds and  the  leader  of  the  party  is  presenting  a Syrian 
goat  to  the  governor  of  the  district,  to  whom  he  is  being 
introduced  by  a scribe  who  also  makes  a record  of  the 
presents  brought  to  the  monarch.  That  this  family  is  from 
Palestine  is  generally  admitted.  The  faces  are  Jewish  or 
361 


Visit  of  a Family  of  the  Semitic  Nation  called  Amu  to  Ecytt 

(From  thr  Tomb  of  Chnum-hf ({•/>.) 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  363 

Semitic.  The  men  are  represented  as  wearing  beards,  and 
a single  glance  at  the  engraving  will  show  the  marked  dif- 
ference between  them  and  the  Egyptians.  It  is  an  inter- 
esting illustration  and  proves  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
people  of  Palestine  to  go  down  into  Egypt  just  as  Abraham 
did,  and  as  Jacob  did  after  him. 

But  we  go  back  again  to  the  Israelites.  It  was  in  the 
fruitful  Land  of  Goshen  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  settled. 
Here  they  soon  forgot  the  country  from  which  they  came 
out.  They  prospered,  grew  rich,  multiplied  and,  as  the 
years  passed,  became  a mighty  people.  It  was  a growing 
nation  in  the  midst  of  Egypt  that  first  aroused  the  suspi- 
cions of  and  alarmed  the  Pharaoh  that  knew  not  Joseph. 
From  his  standpoint  he  no  doubt  concluded  that  he  was 
acting  wisely  when  he  determined  to  oppress  the  Israelites. 
As  we  look  at  his  course  it  does  not  betoken  wisdom  or 
statesmanship.  A wise  ruler  delights  in  having  his  people 
contented  and  happy.  He  made  their  lives  grievous  by 
reason  of  the  burdens  laid  upon  them  in  the  fields,  in  mak- 
ing brick,  in  the  quarries,  and  in  the  temples  and  tombs 
constructed  by  the  king.  But  God’s  plan  differed  from 
Pharaoh’s,  and  the  means  adopted  by  the  latter  to  enslave 
the  people  resulted  in  their  final  deliverance. 

During  the  first  years  of  oppression  Pharaoh  “ did  set 
over  them  taskmasters  to  afflict  them  with  their  burdens. 
And  they  built  for  Pharaoh  treasure  cities,  Pithom  and 
Raamses.”  Ex.  1:  11. 

In  modern  times  'the  borders  of  the  Land  of  Goshen 
have  been  the  subject  of  much  discussion.  The  treasure 
cities  built  for  Pharaoh  had  fallen  into  ruins,  and  even  the 
sites  of  them  were  lost.  Where  did  the  Israelites  dwell  in 
Egypt?  Where  was  Pithom  and  where  was  Raamses  locat- 
ed? These  questions  were  often  asked,  and  no  satisfactory 


364 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


answer  could  be  given.  But  now,  thanks  to  the  Egyptian 
Exploration  Fund  and  the  men  having  charge  of  the  work, 
both  the  treasure  cities  have  been  identified  and  the  Land 
of  Goshen  distinctly  and  authentically  pointed  out.  Sin- 
gular as  it  may  seem,  these  old  cities  named  in  Exodus 
have  been  excavated,  and  thus  additional  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  the  Bible  is  secured. 

During  our  stay  in  Egypt  we  crossed  and  recrossed  the 
Land  of  Goshen  a number  of  times,  and  although  it  has 
been  badly  treated  and  some  of  the  canals  have  been  filled 
up,  yet  it  is  still  a goodly  land  and  produces  rich  harvests. 

It  fills  one  with  strange  feelings  to  pass  over  these 
fields,  ride  along  the  banks  of  the  canals,  and  to  know  that 
here  the  Israelites  dwelt,  and  here  they  were  compelled  to 
make  brick  without  straw.  But  stranger  still  is  the  fact 
that  the  evidence  of  their  oppression  has  been  hid  away  in 
the  buried  cities,  and  has  only  recently  been  brought  to 
light  by  the  spade  and  pick  of  the  modern  excavator.  We 
give  some  of  the  most  striking  of  these  proofs. 

The  story  of  the  discovery  of  Pithom,  Raamses,  Tah- 
panhes  and  other  buried  cities  of  ancient  Egypt  is  full  of 
interest.  The  first  two  were  built  by  the  Israelites  under 
the  oppression,  and  the  last  is  referred  to  by  Jeremiah,  so 
that  these  are  not  only  cities  of  Egypt  but  Bible  cities  as 
well.  Raamses  and  Pithom  were  located  on  the  border  of 
the  Land  of  Goshen  and  on  the  route  of  the  exodus.  We 
are  especially  indebted  to  Edwards,  Petrie,  and  Naville  for 
the  sketch  we  give  of  the  discovery  of  these  ancient  cities. 

And  first  the  discovery  of  Pithom.  Some  forty  years 
ago  a large  mound,  known  in  Egypt  as  Tell-el-Maskhutah, 
was  identified  by  Lepsius  as  Raamses,  and  his  opinion  was 
generally  accepted.  In  all  the  maps  and  guidebooks  it  is 
so  set  down.  When  M.  Naville  commenced  the  work  of 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


365 


excavating  the  mound  in  1883  it  was  with  the  purpose  of 
proving  that  Lepsius  was  correct;  but  much  to  his  surprise 
he  found  that  the  learned  German  had  made  a mistake;  not 
a serious  mistake,  however,  for  what  M.  Naville  did  find 
was  the  treasure  city  of  Pithom,  the  twin  sister  of  Raamses. 

Digging  into  and  removing  the  mound  a great  wall 
twenty  feet  in  thickness  was  found  which  enclosed  a space 
containing  fifty-five  thousand  square  yards.  In  one  corner 
of  the  square  stood  a temple,  the  outer  wall  of  which  was 
built  of  brick,  the  inner  of  fine  limestone.  It  was  found 
that  the  city  had  been  founded  by  Rameses  II,  as  was 
abundantly  proved  by  the  inscriptions  discovered.  Statues 
and  hieroglyphic  texts  of  later  kings  were  also  found  on 
the  spot,  among  which  was  a part  of  a tablet  of  the  Shishak 
of  the  Bible. 

It  was  also  discovered  that  the  temple  was  dedicated 
to  Turn,  the  patron  god  of  the  city,  and  that  its  sacred 
name  was  Pa-Tum.  It  was  also  called  Sukut.  An  inscrip- 
tion on  a black  granite  statue  of  a prince  implores  “ all 
the  priests  who  go  into  the  sacred  abode  of  Turn  the  great 
god  of  Sukut”  to  offer  a prayer  for  him.  Another  inscrip- 
tion sets  forth  the  titles  of  an  “ official  of  Turn  of  Sukut 
and  governor  of  the  storehouse.”  These  inscriptions,  with 
many  others  found,  set  forth  that  M.  Naville  had  discov- 
ered a place  that  was  a “ storehouse  ” and  that  it  had  two 
names,  Pa-Tum  and  Sukut.  The  surrounding  district  was 
also  known  by  the  latter  name. 

“ Now,  ‘ Pa-Tum  ’ means  the  house,  or  abode  of  Turn; 
‘ Pa  ’ being  the  Egyptian  word  for  house,  or  abode.  Thus 
the  temple  gave  its  name  to  the  city,  just  as  ‘ Pa-Bast  ’ — 
the  abode  of  Bast — gave  its  name  to  the  city  which  the 
Greeks  called  Bubastis.  But  as  the  Greeks,  according  to 
the  Greek  method  of  transcription,  rendered  ‘Pa’  by  ‘ Bu/ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


366 

and  ‘ Bast  ’ by  Bastis,  so  the  Hebrews,  according  to  the 
Hebrew  method  of  transcription,  rendered  ‘Pa’  by  ‘Pi,’  and 
‘ Bast  ’ by  ‘ Beseth.’  Thus  it  is  as  ‘ Pi-Beseth  ’ that  we  read 
of  Bubastis.  And  so  in  like  manner,  the  Hebrews  changed 
‘Pa’  into  ‘Pi,’  and  ‘Turn’  into  ‘Thom,’  when  dealing  with 
‘Pa-Tum,’of  which  they  made  ‘ Pi-thom.’  Accordingly  it 
is  of  this  very  store  fort,  ‘ Pa-Tum,’  that  we  read  in  the  pas- 
sage, ‘ And  they  built  for  Pharaoh  treasure  cities,  Pi-thom 
and  Raamses.’  ”* 

But  we  are  not  yet  done  with  the  name  of  this  impor- 
tant Bible  city.  It  had,  as  we  have  seen  from  the  inscrip- 
tions, another  name,  “ Sukut,”  and  this  was  changed  by  the 
Hebrew  method  into  Succoth  of  the  Bible.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  “ the  children  of  Israel  removed  from  Ram- 
eses,  and  pitched  in  Succoth,”  f so  that  we  not  only  have 
the  storehouse  of  Pithom,  but  we  have  as  well  the  second 
camping-place  of  the  Israelites  as  they  fled  away  from  the 
land  of  bondage.  And  not  only  this,  we  also  have  the  very 
place  where  Joseph  met  his  aged  father  when  he  came 
down  into  Egypt.  ‘‘And  Joseph  made  ready  his  chariot, 
and  went  up  to  meet  Israel  his  father,  to  Goshen,  and  pre- 
sented himself  unto  him;  and  he  fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept 
on  his  neck  a good  while.”  Gen.  46:  29.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  Greeks  in  later  times  gave  the  name  of  Heroopolis 
to  Pithom,  and  when  the  Hebrew  Bible  was  translated  into 
the  Greek  by  the  seventy  at  Alexandria,  about  B.  C.  200, 
they  give  the  place  the  Greek  name  and  say  that  Joseph 
“made  ready  his  chariot  and  went  up  to  Heroopolis  to 
meet  his  father.” 

Inside  the  wall,  which  we  have  described  as  surround- 
ing the  city  and  the  temple,  M.  Naville  discovered  a great 


* “Pharaohs,  Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  page  45. 
tNum.  33:  3. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


367 


number  of  deep  cellars  and  store  chambers.  These  under- 
ground vaults,  granaries  or  magazines  are  solidly-built 
square  chambers  of  various  sizes,  divided  by  massive  parti- 
tion walls  about  ten  feet  in  thickness,  without  doors  or  any 
kind  of  communication,  evidently  destined  to  be  filled  and 
emptied  from  the  top  by  the  means  of  trap  doors  and  lad- 
ders. Except  the  corner  occupied  by  the  temple,  the 
whole  area  of  the  great  walled  enclosure  is  honeycombed 
with  these  cellars.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the  enclo- 
sure contains  fifty-five  thousand  square  yards  some  idea  of 
the  vast  extent  of  the  store  chambers  may  be  formed. 

They  are  built  of  brick.  These  are  large  and  are  made 
of  Nile  mud  pressed  in  a wooden  mould  and  dried  in  the 
sun.  “Also  they  are  laid  in  mortar,  which  is  not  common, 
the  ordinary  method  being  to  lay  them  with  mud,  which 
dries  immediately  and  holds  almost  as  well  as  mortar. 
And  this  reminds  us  that  Pharaoh’s  taskmasters  ‘ made  the 
children  of  Israel  to  serve  with  rigor:  and  they  made  their 
lives  bitter  with  hard  bondage,  in  mortar,  and  in  brick.’* 
We  remember  all  the  details  of  that  pitiful  story — how  the 
straw  became  exhausted;  how  the  poor  souls  were  driven 
forth  to  gather  in  stubble  for  mixing  with  clay;  and  yet 
how  they  were  required  to  give  in  as  large  a tale  of  bricks 
at  the  end  of  each  day’s  work  as  if  the  straw  had  been  duly 
provided. 

“ Now  it  is  a very  curious  and  interesting  fact  that  the 
Pithom  bricks  are  of  different  qualities.  In  the  lower 
courses  of  these  massive  cellar  walls  they  are  mixed  with 
chopped  straw;  higher  up,  where  the  straw  may  be  supposed 
to  have  run  short,  the  clay  is  found  mixed  with  reeds, — the 
same  kind  of  reeds  which  grow  to  this  day  in  the  old 
Pharaohic  canal,  and  which  are  translated  as  ‘ stubble  ’ in 


*Ex.  1: 13,  14. 


368 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  Bible.  Finally,  when  the  last  reeds  were  used  up,  the 
bricks  of  the  upper  courses  consist  of  mere  Nile  mud,  with 
no  binding  substance  whatever. 

“ So  here  we  have  the  whole  pathetic  Bible  narrative 
surviving  in  solid  substance  to  the  present  time.  We  go 
down  to  the  bottom  of  one  of  these  cellars.  We  see  the 
good  brick  for  which  the  straw  was  provided,  some  few  feet 
higher  we  see  those  for  which  the  wretched  Hebrews  had 
to  seek  reeds,  or  stubble.  We  hear  them  cry  aloud,  ‘ Can 
we  make  bricks  without  straw?’  Lastly  we  see  the  bricks 
which  they  had  to  make,  and  did  make  without  straw, 
while  their  hands  were  bleeding  and  their  hearts  were 
breaking.  Shakespeare  in  one  of  his  most  familiar  pas- 
sages tells  us  of  ‘sermons  in  stones;’  but  here  we  have  a 
sermon  in  bricks,  and  not  only  a sermon,  but  a practical 
historical  commentary  of  the  highest  importance  and  in- 
terest.”* 

It  seems  remarkable  indeed  that  the  bricks  of  Pithom 
made  by  the  children  of  Israel  should  bear  such  abundant 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible  narrative.  And  yet  this 
is  true.  In  God’s  own  time  the  treasure  city  was  excavat- 
ed, and  thousands  of  silent  but  eloquent  witnesses  were 
taken  from  the  buildings  in  which  they  had  been  placed  by 
Pharaoh’s  builders.  And  what  a wonderful  testimony 
these  silent  witnesses  bear  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible!  How 
marvelously  do  the  very  bricks  of  the  ancient  treasure  city, 
built  by  the  children  of  Israel  under  the  hand  of  the  op- 
pressor, cry  out  as  with  living  tongues  and  repeat  the  old, 
old  Bible  story,  telling  in  unmistakable  language  that 
Pharaoh  oppressed  the  sons  of  Jacob  and  compelled  them 
to  make  brick  without  straw.  Who  can  examine  these 


* “ Fharaohs,  Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  pages  49,  So. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  369 

evidences  and  doubt  the  truth  of  the  - Bible  account  of 
Israel’s  bondage  and  oppression  in  the  land  of  Egypt! 

And  here  we  refer  to  other  testimony  bearing  on  the 
bondage  of  Israel  in  Egypt.  Letters,  written  on  papyrus 
by  the  king’s  scribe,  Kauiser,  during  the  reign  of  Rameses 
II,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression,  were  found  in  the  tem- 
ple at  Memphis,  and  are  now  in  the  museum  at  Leyden. 
They  were  found  in  a good  state  of  preservation,  and  have 
been  carefully  translated  into  English.  The  following 
passages  occur:  “ I have  obeyed  the  orders  of  the  master, 
being  bidden  to  serve  out  the  rations  to  my  soldiers,  and 
also  to  the  Aperient  (the  Egyptian  name  for  the  Hebrews) 
who  quarry  stone  for  the  palace  of  King  Rameses.” 
“Therefore  I heard  the  message  of  the  eye  (an  official 
title)  of  my  master,  saying:  ‘Give  corn  to  the  Egyptian 
soldiers,  and  to  the  Hebrews  who  polish  stones  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  great  storehouse  in  the  City  Rameses.’  ” 
Another  letter,  written  by  the  scribe  Keniamann,  tells  of 
the  Hebrews  quarrying  stones  for  a building  on  the  south 
side  of  Memphis. 

Of  these  letters  Miss  Edwards,  in  her  excellent  work 
on  Egypt,  says:  “ They  bring  home  to  us  with  startling 
nearness  the  events  and  actors  of  the  Bible  narrative.  We 
see  the  toilers  at  their  tasks,  and  the  overseers  conferring 
with  the  directors  of  public  works.  They  extract  from  the 
quarry  those  huge  blocks  which  are  our  wonder  to-day. 
Harnessed  to  huge  sledges,  they  drag  them  to  the 
river-side  and  embark  them  for  transport  to  the  opposite 
bank.  Some  are  so  heavy  that  it  takes  a month  to  get 
them  down  from  the  mountain  to  the  landing-place. 
Other  laborers  elsewhere  are  making  bricks,  digging 
canals,  helping  to  build  the  great  wall  which  reached  from 
Pelusium  to  Heliopolis,  and  strengthened  the  defenses  of 


Figs.  4,  5,  1.  Carrying  brick  and  returning. 
Figs.  7,  9,  12,  13.  Digging  the  clay  or  mud. 
Figs.  14,  15.  Fetching  water  from  the  tank. 
Figs.  3,  C.  Taskmasters. 

Figs.  8,  16.  Making  bricks  with  a mould. 
Figs.  2,  10,  11.  Collecting  and  carrying  mud. 


FOUE1GX  CAPTIVES  EMPLOYED  IX  MAKING  Ur.ICK  AT  THEBES.  Fr.OM  TOMB  NO. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


371 


not  only  Raineses  and  Pithom,  but  of  all  the  cities  and 
ports  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean.  Their  lot  is 
hard,  but  not  harder  than  the  lot  of  other  workmen.  They 
are  well  fed.  They  intermarry.  They  increase  and  multi- 
ply. The  season  of  the  great  oppression  is  not  yet  come. 
They  make  bricks,  it  is  true,  and  those  who  are  thus  em- 
ployed must  supply  a certain  number  daily,  but  straw  is 
not  yet  withheld,  and  the  task,  though  perhaps  excessive, 
is  not  impossible.” 

But  the  day  of  oppression  was  close  upon  them. 
Rameses,  alarmed  at  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Israelites, 
took  measures  to  retard  their  increase.  “ And  they  made 
their  lives  bitter  with  hard  bondage,  in  mortar,  and  in 
brick,  and  in  all  manner  of  service  in  the  field:  all  their 
service,  wherein  they  made  them  serve,  was  with  rigour.” 
And  then,  as  we  have  already  seen,  came  still  harder  tasks. 
The  straw  used  in  making  brick  was  withheld,  and  yet  the 
full  number  was  required.  “ So  the  people  were  scattered 
abroad  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt  to  gather  stubble 
instead  of  straw.” 

The  annexed  engraving  shows  the  process  of  making 
bricks  in  ancient  Egypt,  and  it  doubtless  shows  just  how 
the  Israelites  worked.  After  the  discovery  of  Pithom  M. 
Naville  continued  his  work  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Egyptian  Exploration  Fund,  and  in  1884  discovered  at  Saft 
el-Hennch  what  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  capital  city 
of  the  Land  of  Goshen,  the  home  of  the  Israelites  so  many 
years  during  their  sojourn  in  Egypt.  It  is  said  there  is 
very  strong  reason  for  believing  that  an  old  city  that 
stood  here  was  rebuilt  and  enlarged  by  Rameses  II,  to 
which  he  gave  his  own  name,  and  that  in  “ Kes,”  “Goshen,” 
we  have  the  other  treasure  city  built  by  the  Hebrews  at  the 
time  of  the  oppression.  Raamses  was  the  place  from 


372 


WANDERINGS  IN  BI13LE  LANDS. 


which  the  Israelites  started  on  their  journey  to  the  Land  of 
Canaan,  and  they  would  most  likely  have  assembled  at  the 
capital  of  the  country  in  which  they  dwelt.  From  this  and 
other  considerations  in  all  probability  Saft  el-Henneh,  as  it 
is  now  called,  is  the  Raamses  of  the  Bible. 

We  now  turn  from  the  important  work  of  M.  Naville, 
which  has  yielded  such  rich  fruit,  to  the  no  less  important 
discoveries  of  Mr.  Petrie  whose  interesting  work,  “ Ten 
Years  Digging  in  Egypt,”  and  reports  to  the  Egyptian  Ex- 
ploration Fund  are  invaluable  to  those  who  desire  to  make 
a careful  study  of  recent  discoveries  in  Egypt.  Mr.  Petrie 
commenced  his  work  in  1886  at  a group  of  mounds  called 
Tell  Defenneh,  situated  close  to  lake  Menzaleh  at  the 
northeastern  corner  of  the  delta.  “ Defenneh  ” is  an  Arab 
word  derived  from  Daphnae,  the  Greek  name  of  the  place. 
In  the  Hebrew  “Daphnae”  is  transcribed  Tahpanhes,  so 
that  we  have  in  the  mounds  at  Tell  Defenneh  the  ruins  of 
the  Bible  city  of  Tahpanhes. 

The  occasion  of  the  mention  of  Tahpanhes  in  the  Bible 
was  on  this  wise.  In  the  reign  of  Pharaoh-hophra,*  about 
B.  C.  585,  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  besieged  and 
took  the  City  of  Jerusalem.  Zedekiah  was  taken  captive, 
his  eyes  were  put  out  and  with  the  largest  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem  and  Judea  was  carried  into  Babylo- 
nian captivity.f  Jerusalem  was  occupied  by  a Chaldean 
garrison  and  ruled  by  a governor  sent  from  Babylon  by 
Nebuchadnezzar.  The  king’s  daughters  and  a remnant  of 
the  Israelites,  including  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  remained  in 
the  city.  His  advice  and  counsel  was  to  remain  in  Jerusa- 
lem; but  Johanan,  the  son  of  Kareah,  who  had  charge  of 
the  king’s  daughters,  determined  to  take  them  and  the 


* Jer.  44:  30. 
t 2 Kings  25: 7. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS 


373 


remnant  of  Judah  to  Egypt  and  place  them  under  the  pro- 
tection of  Pharaoh-hophra.  Jeremiah  prophesied  against 
this  scheme  and  said:  “And  now  therefore  hear  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  ye  remnant  of  Judah;  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel;  If  ye  wholly  set  your  faces  to  en- 
ter into  Egypt,  and  go  to  sojourn  there;  then  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  the  sword,  which  ye  feared,  shall  over- 
take you  there  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  the  famine, 
whereof  ye  were  afraid,  shall  follow  close  after  you  there  in 
Egypt;  and  there  ye  shall  die.  So  shall  it  be  with  all  the 
men  that  set  their  faces  to  go  into  Egypt  to  sojourn  there; 
they  shall  die  by  the  sword,  by  the  famine,  and  by  the 
pestilence:  and  none  of  them  shall  remain  or  escape  from 
the  evil  that  I will  bring  upon  them.”* 

But  the  words  of  the  prophet  were  of  no  avail.  Joha- 
nan  and  his  adherents  had  wholly  set  their  faces  to  go  to 
Egypt  to  sojourn  there.  The  words  of  the  prophet  were 
an  idle  tale  to  them.  They  accused  him  of  speaking 
falsely  and  said:  “The  Lord  our  God  hath  not  sent  thee  to 
say,  Go  not  into  Egypt  to  sojourn  there. ”f  Here  is  the 
old  story  of  men  finding  excuses  for  disobeying  the  Word 
of  the  Lord.  It  was  a common  thing  in  the  days  of  Joha- 
nan,  and  it  is  by  no  means  less  common  to-day.  These  men 
had  marked  their  course  and  no  words  of  the  aged  prophet 
could  change  their  minds.  To  Egypt  they  had  determined 
to  go,  and  to  Egypt  they  went. 

“ But  Johanan  the  son  of  Kareah,  and  all  the  captains 
of  the  forces,  took  all  the  remnant  of  Judah,  that  were  re- 
turned from  all  nations,  whither  they  had  been  driven,  to 
dwell  in  the  land  of  Judah;  even  men,  and  women,  and 
children,  and  the  king’s  daughters,  and  every  person  that 


* Jer.  42: 15-17 
t Jer-  43=  3- 


374 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Nebuzar-adan  the  captain  of  the  guard  had  left  .... 
and  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  and  Baruch  the  son  of  Neriah. 
So  they  came  into  the  land  of  Egypt:  for  they  obeyed  not 
the  voice  of  the  Lord:  thus  came  they  even  to  Tahpan- 
hes.”* 

Nine  hundred  years  before  this  the  oppressed  Israel- 
ites had  fled  away  from  Egypt,  and  now  a remnant  of  that 
once  prosperous  people,  all  that  were  left  in  Palestine,  fled 
to  Egypt  and  took  protection  from  the  Chaldeans  from 
Pharaoh-hophra.  It  was  an  exodus  from  the  Land  of 
Canaan  to  Egypt.  The  king  of  Egypt  placed  his  royal 
joalace  at  Daphnae  at  the  disposal  of  the  princesses  and 
granted  those  who  came  with  them  a large  tract  of  land. 

One  of  those  who  accompanied  Johanan  to  Egypt  we 
may  well  suppose  came  unwillingly.  It  was  the  prophet  of 
the  Lord,  Jeremiah.  He  had  protested  with  all  his  power 
and  zeal  against  the  move;  he  had  prophesied  against  it, 
and  after  all  was  compelled  to  be  an  unwilling  participant 
in  it.  But  his  voice  was  not  hushed.  They  were  now  en- 
joying the  rich  bounty  and  hospitality  of  the  king  of 
Egypt,  they  were  in  the  fertile  land  of  the  Nile,  but  the 
prophet  lifted  up  a warning  voice  upon  the  very  threshold 
of  the  palace  which  the  Jewish  princesses  occupied,  and  he 
spoke  these  words: 

“Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Jeremiah  in 
Tahpanhes,  saying,  Take  great  stones  in  thine  hand,  and 
hidef  them  in  mortar  in  the  brickwork,  which  is  at  the  en- 
try of  Pharaoh’s  house  in  Tahpanhes,  in  the  sight  of  the 
men  of  Judah;  and  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel:  Behold,  I will  send  and  take 
Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  of  Babylon,  my  servant,  and  will 


* Jer.  43:  5-7. 

f Marginal  reading,  or,  lay  them  with  mortar  in  the  pavement  (or  square). 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


37? 


set  his  throne  upon  these  stones  that  I have  hid;  and  he 
shall  spread  his  royal  pavilion  over  them.  And  he  shall 
come,  and  shall  smite  the  land  of  Egypt;  such  as  are  for 
death  shall  be  given  to  death,  and  such  as  are  for  captivity 
to  captivity,  and  such  as  are  for  the  sword  to  the  sword.”* 

Bearing  in  mind  what  has  preceded  we  shall  now  fol- 
low Mr.  Petrie  in  his  excavations  at  Tahpanhes;  and  we 
cannot  do  better  than  give  the  graphic  description  of  his 
work  by  the  gifted  and  lamented  author  of  “ Pharaohs, 
Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  with  the  report  of  Mr.  Petrie  to 
the  secretary  of  the  Egyptian  Exploration  Fund,  made  in 
April,  1886,  which  is  quoted  in  the  foregoing  excellent 
work:  When  Mr.  Petrie  arrived  at  the  scene  of  his  labors 
he  found  three  mounds;  two  of  them  were  apparently  mere 
rubbish  heaps  of  the  ordinary  type;  the  third  being  entirely 
composed  of  burned  and  blackened  ruins,  of  a huge  pile  of 
brick  buildings,  visible  for  a great  distance  across  the 
plain.  Arriving  at  his  destination  in  the  evening,  foot-sore 
and  weary,  Mr.  Petrie  beheld  this  singular  object  standing 
high  against  a lurid  sky,  and  reddened  by  a fiery  sunset. 
His  Arabs  hastened  to  tell  him  its  local  name;  and  he  may 
be  envied  the  delightful  surprise  with  which  he  learned 
that  it  was  known  far  and  near  as  “ El  Kasr  el  Bint  el 
Yahudi  ” — the  “ Castle  of  the  Jew’s  Daughter.” 

He  at  once  set  to  work  with  some  forty  or  fifty  Arab 
laborers  and  soon  discovered  that  the  ruins  had  been 
burned  and  that  it  once  had  been  a palace  and  a fort.  Re- 
ferring now  to  the  “ brickwork  ” of  the  Revised  Version 
and  the  “brickkiln”  of  the  King  James  translation  the  ex- 
plorer says: 

“This  ‘brickwork,  or  pavement,’  at  the  entry  of 
Pharaoh’s  house  has  always  been  a puzzle  to  translators; 


* Revised  Version,  Jer.  43:  8-11. 


37^ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


but  as  soon  as  we  began  to  uncover  the  plan  of  the  palace, 
the  exactness  of  the  description  was  manifest;  for  here, 
outside  the  buildings  adjoining  the  central  tower,  I found 
by  repeated  trenchings  an  area  of  continuous  brickwork 
resting  on  sand,  and  measuring  about  one  hundred  feet  by 
sixty  feet,  facing  the  buildings  at  the  east  corner. 

“The  roadway  ran  up  a recess  between  the  buildings 
and  this  platform,  which  has  no  traces  of  superstructures, 
was  evidently  an  open  air  place  for  loading  and  unloading 
goods,  or  sitting  out  in  the  air,  or  transacting  business,  or 
conversing — just  such  a place,  in  fact,  as  is  made  by  the 
Egyptians  to  this  day  in  front  of  their  houses,  where  they 
drink  coffee,  and  smoke  in  the  cool  of  the  afternoon,  and 
receive  their  visitors. 

“Such  seems  to  have  been  the  object  of  this  large  plat- 
form, which  was  evidently  a place  to  meet  persons  who 
would  not  be  admitted  into  the  palace  or  fort;  to  assemble 
guards;  to  hold  levees;  to  receive  tribute  and  stores;  to  un- 
lade goods;  and  to  transact  the  multifarious  business  which, 
in  so  hot  a climate,  is  done  in  the  open  air.  This  platform 
is  therefore,  unmistakably , the  brickwork,  or  pavement, 
which  is  at  the  ‘entry  of  Pharaoh’s  house  in  Tahpanhes.’ 
The  rains*  have  washed  away  this  area  and  denuded  the 
surface,  so  that,  although  it  is  two  or  three  feet  thick  near 
the  palace,  it  is  reduced  in  greater  part  to  a few  inches,  and 
is  altogether  gone  at  the  northwest  corner.” 

Now  the  Arabic  word  for  a platform  of  this  kind  is 
“balat,”  and  that  we  have  in  this  “ balat  ” the  brickwork 
referred  to  in  the  Bible  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted  by  the 
most  determined  sceptic.  And  it  is  to  be  noted  that  in  the 
alternative  or  marginal  reading,  above  mentioned,  “the 
brickwork  which  is  at  the  entry  of  Pharaoh’s  house  ” is 

* There  are  Irequent  rainfalls  in  the  northern  part  of  the  delta  of  Egypt. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


377 


rendered  as  “ the  pavement  or  square.”  Here,  therefore, 
the  ceremony  described  by  Jeremiah  must  have  been  per- 
formed, and  it  was  upon  this  spot  that  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
to  spread  his  royal  pavilion.  It  will  be  asked,  perhaps,  if 
Mr.  Petrie  actually  found  the  stones  which  Jeremiah  laid 
with  mortar  in  the  thickness  of  that  pavement.  He  looked 
for  them,  of  course,  turning  up  the  brickwork  in  every 
part;  and  he  did  find  some  large  stones  lying  loosely  on  the 
surface.  But  these  had  probably  rolled  down  from  the 
wreck  of  the  palace.*  At  all  events,  it  was  impossible  to 
identify  them. 

Meanwhile  we  turn  in  vain  to  the  pages  of  sacred  and 
secular  history  for  some  record  of  the  fate  of  these  hapless 
princesses — the  last,  the  very  last,  of  the  ancient  and  noble 
royal  line  of  Judah  who  were  recognized  as  royal.  What 
fate  befell  them  and  their  followers?  Did  the  Assyrian 
pursue  them  with  fire  and  sword?  And  was  the  conquer- 
or’s pavilion  actually  spread  upon  the  spot  marked  by  the 
prophet?  The  Bible  tells  us  no  more;  but  certain  Egyptian 
inscriptions  state  that  Nebuchadnezzar  again  invaded 
Egypt,  and  was  defeated  by  Apries  Pharaoh-hophra;  while, 
on  the  other’hand,  certain  Babylonian  inscriptions  give  the 
victory  to  Nebuchadnezzar.  Which  are  we  to  believe? 
For  my  part,  I unhesitatingly  accept  the  impartial  evidence 
of  that  burned  and  blackened  pile,  “The  Castle  of  the 
Jews’  Daughter;”  and  I do  not  doubt  that  the  invincible 
Assyrian  wrought  his  uttermost  vengeance  upon  the  “ rem- 
nant of  Judah.” 

Nor  must  we  forget  the  additional  testimony  of  the 
clay  cylinders  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  inscribed  in  cuneiform 

* May  it  not  be  possible,  is  it  not  altogether  probable  that  these  stones  may  have  been 
loosened  Irom  the  pavement  where  they  were  laid  by  Jeremiah?  Their  presence  at  this 
place  would  be  a strong  proof  that  these  may  have  been  the  very  stones  placed  there  by 
the  prophet. 


378 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


characters,  and  now  in  the  National  Egyptian  Museum. 
Some  seven  or  eight  years  ago  these  cylinders  were  sold  to 
Prof.  Maspero  by  an  Arab  who  found  them,  as  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe,  upon  this  very  spot;  and  such  cyl- 
inders were  precisely  the  memorials  which  Nebuchadnez- 
zar would  have  left  buried  beneath  the  spot  where  he 
spread  his  pavilion  and  planted  his  royal  standard  in  the 
hour  of  victory.* 

So  Tahpanhes,  buried  away  long  centuries  ago  by  the 
accumulated  rubbish  and  dust  of  ages,  speaks  now  at  the 
close  of  the  nineteenth  century,  bearing  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  Bible.  What  will  those  critics,  who  claim  that 
the  Old  Testament  was  written  just  before  the  beginning  of 
the  Christian  era,  now  have  to  say  in  the  face  of  this  posi- 
tive proof  that  they  are  mistaken?  Here  at  Tahpanhes  we 
have  a meeting  point  of  ancient  Greek,  Egyptian,  Assyrian 
and  Bible  history,  and  the  chronology  of  the  Book  of 
Jeremiah  is  settled  beyond  all  dispute.  The  date  is  fixed 
at  nearly  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Then,  too,  how 
wonderfully  does  the  discovery  of  Tahpanhes  corroborate 
the  statements  made  by  the  prophet,  and  how  it  clears  up 
the  difficulty  which  translators  have  had  for  years  with  the 
“brickkiln”  and  the  “brickwork”  before  the  house  of 
Pharaoh.  Thus  are  the  buried  cities  of  the  Bible  being  ex- 
cavated, and  as  they  again  see  the  light  of  the  sun,  after  so 
many  centuries  of  darkness  and  silence,  they  speak  as  with 
human  voices,  saying,  “The  Book  of  God  is  true.” 

Mr.  Petrie  continued  his  work  at  Tahpanhes  and  made 
a number  of  interesting  discoveries,  but  none  to  exceed 
that  of  the  discovery  of  brickwork  before  the  house  of 
Pharaoh.  The  palace  and  fort  consisted  of  one  enormous 
square  tower,  consisting  of  sixteen  rooms  on  each  floor; 


* “Pharaohs,  Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  page  67. 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands.  379 

while,  built  up  against  its  outer  walls,  were  a variety  of 
larger  structures,  such  as  might  have  been  added  for  guard 
rooms,  offices,  and  the  accommodation  of  the  court.  There 
was  every  evidence  that  the  place  had  been  taken  by  as- 
sault, plundered,  and  burned,  the  upper  stories  of  the  tower 
having  fallen  in  and  buried  the  basements.  Layer  by  layer 
Mr.  Petrie  cleared  away  these  masses  of  buried  rubbish, — 
each  layer  a chapter  in  the  history  of  the  place.  The  royal 
apartments  had  once  been  lined  with  fine  limestone  slabs 
exquisitely  sculptured  and  painted;  but  these  had  been  lit- 
erally mashed  to  pieces  before  the  place  was  set  on  fire, 
and  lay  in  splintered  heaps  among  the  debris  of  charred 
beams  and  blackened  bricks.  Under  the  foundation  cor- 
ners of  the  stronghold  were  found  libation  vessels,  corn 
nibbers,  specimens  of  ores,  model  bricks,  the  bones  of  a 
sacrificial  ox  and  a small  bird,  and  a series  of  little  tablets 
in  gold,  silver,  lapis  lazuli,  porcelain,  carnelian,  and  jasper, 
engraved  with  the  names  and  titles  of  the  royal  founder 
Psammetichus  I. 

Under  the  immense  mound  of  rubbish  the  basement 
chambers  were  uninjured.  The  kitchen  was  as  it  had  been 
left  centuries  ago.  In  a large  room  with  recesses  in  the 
wall  which  served  for  a pantry  were  fourteen  jars  and  two 
dishes  standing  in  their  places.  Here  also  were  found 
weights  for  weighing  the  meat,  spits,  knives,  plates,  cups 
and  saucers.  In  another  room  were  found  empty  wine  jars, 
some  perfect,  some  broken,  and  this  was  undoubtedly  the 
wine  room  of  the  palace. 

A great  variety  of  objects  from  the  royal  apartments 
were  found  in  the  fallen  rubbish,  such  as  bronze  and  silver 
rings,  amulets,  beads,  seals,  small  brass  vessels,  a grand 
sword-handle  with  curved  guard,  and  a quantity  of  burned 
and  rusted  scale  armor.  The  palace  and  fort  stood  in  the 


380  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

midst  of  a great  camp.  In  the  camp  were  found  many 
military  relics,  belonging  to  Greek  soldiers  who  assisted 
Psammetichus  in  securing  his  throne.  A massive  gold 
handle,  apparently  the  handle  of  a tray,  was  also  found 
buried  in  a corner  of  the  camp,  where  doubtless  it  had  been 
hidden  by  some  plunderer  when  the  place  had  been  plun- 
dered and  burned.  This  undoubtedly  formed  part  of 
Hophra’s  service  of  gold  plate  (that  service  of  gold  plate 
which  he  would,  of  course,  have  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
his  Jewish  guests),  and  it  is,  with  one  exception,  the  only 
piece  of  gold  plate  ever  found  in  Egypt.* 

We  close  this  chapter  with  a brief  reference  to  the 
work  of  Mr.  Petrie  at  Tsan,  the  “ Tanis  ” of  the  Greeks,  and 
rendered  Zoan  in  the  Hebrew.  We  are  informed  in  the 
Bible  that  “ Hebron  was  built  seven  years  before  Zoan  in 
Egypt, ”f  and  that  the  Lord  did  marvelous  things  in  the 
sight  of  the  fathers  of  Israel  “ in  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  the 
field  of  Zoan. "I  The  identification  of  Tanis  with  Zoan 
brought  to  light  another  buried  city  of  the  Bible.  We  may 
be  able  to  enter  somewhat  into  the  feelings  of  the  excava- 
tor by  reading  what  Mr.  Petrie  says  about  some  of  his  dis- 
coveries: 

“ But  the  burnt  houses  were  the  real  prize  of  the  sea- 
son, as  the  owners  had  fled  and  left  most  of  their  goods; 
and  the  reddened  patches  of  earth  attracted  us  usually  to  a 
profitable  site.  In  one  house  there  was  a beautiful  marble 
term,  of  Italian  work;  and  the  fragments  of  a very  curious 
zodiac,  painted  on  a sheet  of  clear  glass  over  a foot  square, 
each  sign  or  month  having  an  emblematic  head  to  repre- 
sent it;  unhappily,  it  was  broken  in  a hundred  and  fifty 


* “ Pharaohs,  Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  pages  65,  67. 
f Lev.  13:  22. 
t Ps.  78;  12. 


To  fc»ce  pap  3&>. 


I 


- 


% 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


38I 


pieces,  and  as  I uncovered  them  it  was  cruel  to  see  the 
gold-foil  work  which  was  on  them  peel  off  on  to  the  earth, 
leaving  the  glass  bare  in  many  parts.  A yet  more  heart- 
rending sight  were  the  piles  of  papyrus  rolls  so  rotted  that 
they  fell  to  pieces  with  a touch,  showing  here  and  there  a 
letter  of  the  finest  Greek  writing.  The  next  house,  also 
burnt,  was  the  best  of  all.  Here  we  found  the  limestone 
statuette  of  the  owner,  Bakakhuiu,  inscribed  in  demotic  on 
the  base;  a sensible,  sturdy-looking,  active  man,  who  seems 
to  have  been  a lawyer  or  notary,  to  judge  by  his  docu- 
ments. Many  household  objects  of  pottery  and  stone  were 
found,  jars,  mortars,  etc.,  and  a beautiful  blue  glazed  jar, 
perhaps  the  largest  such  known  and  quite  perfect.  The 
rich  result  however  was  in  his  waste;  for  in  a recess  under 
the  cellar  stairs  had  been  five  baskets  of  old  papyri. 
Though  many  had  utterly  perished  by  being  burnt  to  white 
ash,  yet  one  basketful  was  only  carbonized;  and  tenderly  un- 
dermining the  precious  black  mass,  I shifted  it  out  and  car- 
ried it  up  to  my  house  with  fear  and  reverent  joy.  It  took 
ten  hours’  work  to  separate  safely  all  the  documents,  twist- 
ed, crushed,  and  squeezed  together,  and  all  as  brittle  as 
only  burnt  papyrus  is;  a bend  or  a jerk,  and  the  piece  was 
ruined.  At  last  I had  over  a hundred  and  fifty  documents 
separated;  and,  each  wrapped  apart,  and  put  in  tin  boxes 
in  which  they  traveled  safely.  They  have  now  all  been 
opened,  and  glazed;  and  two  of  them  already  prove  to  be 
of  the  greatest  interest.  One  is  a book  of  hieroglyphic 
signs  in  columns,  followed  by  their  hieratic  equivalents  and 
the  school  name  by  which  they  were  learned:  the  greater 
part  of  this  is  preserved,  and  shows  us,  for  the  first  time, 
the  system  on  which  the  hieroglyphics  were  arranged  and 
taught.”*  When  the  care  that  must  be  taken  in  opening 


* “ Ten  Years’  Digging  in  Egypt,”  Win,  M,  Flinders  Petrie,  pages  3,3,  34, 


382 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


up  these  relics  of  the  past  is  considered  we  are  not  sur- 
prised at  the  statement  that  excavators,  like  poets,  are 
born,  not  made. 

Bearing  in  mind  what  Mr.  Petrie  says  about  the  burnt 
houses  in  Zoan,  evidences  of  a great  conflagration,  we  turn 
to  Ezek.  30:  14,  and  read  the  following  prophecy  concern- 
ing this  and  other  cities  of  ancient  Egypt:  “And  I will 
make  Pathros  desolate,  and  I will  set  fire  in  Zoan,  and  will 
execute  judgments  in  No.” 

It  was  also  in  Zoan  that  Mr.  Petrie  discovered  the  re- 
mains of  the  largest  statue  ever  sculptured  by  man.  It  is 
needless  to  add  that  this  colossus  represented  the  great 
Egyptian  egotist,  Rameses  II.  It  had  been  ruthlessly 
cut  up  by  one  of  his  successors  and  used  to  build  a gate 
for  a large  temple.  It  was  from  the  fallen  blocks  of  this 
gateway  that  the  excavator  recognized  that  he  had  before 
him  a great  statue.  Of  this  immense  statue  Miss  Edwards 
says  that  the  parts  discovered  proved  to  be  the  most  stu- 
pendous colossus  known.  Those  statues  which  approach 
nearest  to  him  in  size  are  the  Colossi  of  Abou  Simbel,  and  of 
Thebes.  These,  however,  are  all  seated  figures  and  are  cut 
in  comparatively  soft  materials.  But  the  statue  of  Rame- 
ses II  at  Zoan  was  not  only  sculptured  in  the  hard  red 
granite  of  Assuan,  and  designed  upon  a larger  scale  than 
any  of  these,  but  he  stood  erect  and  crowned,  ninety-two 
feet  high  from  top  to  toe,  or  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  high  including  his  pedestal.  The  weight  of  the  whole 
mass  is  calculated  by  Mr.  Petrie  at  twelve  hundred  tons. 
We  ask  ourselves  in  amazement  how  so  huge  a mass  of 
granite  in  one  solid  piece  was  taken  unbroken  from  the 
quarry;  how  it  was  floated  from  Assuan  to  Zoan,  a distance 
of  not  less  than  seven  hundred  miles;  how  it  was  raised 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


383 


into  its  place  when  it  reached  its  destination.*  What  won- 
derful  sculptors  and  builders  those  old  Egyptians  were! 
How  the  great  statue  of  Rameses  II  must  have  towered 
above  all  else,  and  looked  out  over  the  field  of  Zoan! 

* “ Pharaohs,  Fellahs  and  Explorers,”  page  53. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


The  Land  of  Goshen. — The  Sakkieh. — The  Boundaries  of  Goshen.— 
The  Rich , Fertile  Soil. — The  Israelites  and  their  Murmuring. — A 
long  Donkey  Ride  .—Raising  Water  with  the  Basket. — A Village 
Market. — Lost  on  the  Desert. — The  Beduin  Sheik. — Wading  in 
Mud  and  Water. — The  Donkey-boys. — Achmet  AH  our  Drago- 
man.— A Sorrowful  Man. 

"And  Pharaoh  spake  unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  and  thy  brethren  are  come 
unto  thee:  the  land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee;  in  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father  and 
brethren  to  dwell;  in  the  land  of  Goshen  let  them  dwell:  and  if  thou  knowest  any  men  of 
activity  among  them,  then  make  them  rulers  over  my  cattle.” — Gen.  47:  S,  6. 


SHE  Land  of  Goshen  again.  Egypt  has  its  pyramids, 
Es  obelisks,  its  ruined  temples,  its  colossal  statues, 
F its  wonderful  tombs  and  its  buried  cities,  each  of 
which  has  an  interest  peculiar  to  itself,  but  none'are  more 
interesting  to  the  Bible  student  than  the  Land  of  Goshen. 
This  small,  fertile  territory,  watered  by  the  Nile,  was  the 
birthplace  of  a nation  whose  history  and  religion  have  had 
a wonderful  influence  upon  the  human  race,  an  influence 
that  was  destined  to  be  felt  long  after  the  mighty  nation 
who  received  Jacob  and  his  sons  as  guests  had  passed 
away,  and  an  influence  that  is  destined  to  be  felt  through 
the  line  of  Judah  to  the  end  of  time. 

When  Pharaoh  spoke  to  Joseph  concerning  his  father 
and  his  brethren  and  told  him  to  let  them  dwell  in  the  best 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  “ in  the  land  of  Goshen  let  them 
dwell,”  they  numbered  in  all  but  seventy  souls.  When 
these  same  Hebrews  were  led  away  from  the  land  of  bond- 
age and  oppression  by  Moses,  they  had  increased  so  that 
384 


The  Sakkieh,  or  Egyptian  Water  Wheel. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


387 


of  their  number  six  hundred  thousand  from  twenty  years 
old  and  upward  were  “able  to  go  forth  to  war  in  Israel.”* 
They  had  come  down  into  Egypt  a single  family  with  the 
aged  grandfather  still  with  them;  they  went  forth  with  a 
strong  army,  with  a great  multitude  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, old  men  and  youths.  They  came  down  to  Egypt  a 
little  band  of  poverty-stricken  wanderers,  seeking  food  for 
their  wives  and  little  ones,  they  went  forth  a unified  nation, 
ready  to  play  its  part  in  the  great  drama  of  the  world’s 
history. 

We  could  wish  that  we  had  more  of  the  personal 
history  of  these  dwellers  in  the  Land  of  Goshen  (the 
Gosem  of  the  Egyptian).  The  Bible  passes  over  the  many 
years  of  their  sojourn  with  but  few  recorded  events,  and 
from  the  time  of  their  settlement  and  the  death  of  Jacob 
and  Joseph  until  there  arose  a new  king  over  Egypt  who 
knew  not  Joseph,  we  are  without  information  as  to  the  life 
and  doings  of  the  sons  of  Jacob.  As  they  were  an  alien 
race  and  as  the  years  went  by  were  subjected  to  slavery, 
the  Egyptians  left  but  few  records  touching  the  Hebrews. 
We  find  some  references  to  them  in  the  temples  and  on 
the  monuments,  where  they  are  represented  as  slaves  and 
toilers. 

In  the  fruitful  Land  of  Goshen  they  must  have  dwelt 
many  years,  a happy,  prosperous  people,  before  the  years 
of  oppression  came.  The  rich  pasture-land  afforded  them 
abundant  provender  for  their  herds  and  flocks,  for  they 
were  shepherds,  both  they  and  their  fathers. f Under  these 
most  favorable  conditions  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
the  Hebrews  “were  fruitful,  and  increased  abundantly,  and 


*Num.  1:  3 
fGen.  47:  3. 


388 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


multiplied,  and  waxed  exceeding  mighty;  and  the  land  was 
filled  with  them;”*  that  is,  the  Land  of  Goshen. 

But  the  ancient  records  are  not  silent  as  to  the  rich- 
ness of  the  soil  of  Goshen.  An  ancient  Egyptian  papyrus, 
written  by  Egyptian  officials  during  the  period  of  Israel’s 
sojourn  in  Goshen,  is  preserved  and  bears  testimony  to  the 
great  fertility  of  the  soil.  “They  describe  the  beauty  and 
the  charms  of  the  country  in  the  most  vivid  colors,  stating 
that  life  there  was  sweet  and  pleasant,  and  that  the  soil 
produced  all  kinds  of  crops  in  great  abundance.”  These 
records  show  how  literally  true  is  the  statement  contained 
in  the  Scripture  standing  at  the  head  of  this  chapter: 
“In  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father  and  brethren  to 
dwell.” 

Passing  over  the  Land  of  Goshen  and  noting  the  won- 
derful fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  prosperity  of  the  people 
who  now  dwell  here,  with  a knowledge  of  what  it  was  in 
the  days  of  Israel’s  sojourn,  we  can  well  understand  some 
of  the  incidents  in  the  life  of  those  people.  Dwelling  here, 
as  they  did,  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  in  the  richest  agricul- 
tural district  in  the  world,  with  every  earthly  desire  grati- 
fied, they  would  never  have  been  willing  to  follow  Moses 
into  the  sandy  wilderness  which  bordered  their  rich  farms 
had  not  their  lives  been  made  bitter  and  grievous  by  op- 
pression. God  works  by  means,  and  this  was  the  means 
used  to  wean  the  Israelites  away  from  the  pleasant  Land 
of  Goshen.  There  they  were  losing  their  knowledge  of 
the  true  God  and  were  partaking  of  the  idolatrous  religion 
of  the  Egyptians.  God  led  them  out  from  under  a terrible 
slavery,  by  the  hand  of  his  servant  Moses,  and  by  a disci- 
pline of  forty  years  in  the  wilderness  prepared  them  for 
the  land  in  which  they  were  to  dwell. 


*Ex.  i * 7- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


389 


Then,  too,  with  the  goodly  Land  of  Goshen  in  mind 
it  is  easy  to  understand  why  they  so  fondly  and  longingly 
looked  back  to  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt,  and  why  they  said 
to  Moses  when  they  had  been  led  into  the  terrible  wilder- 
ness of  Sin,  “Would  to  God  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  when  we  sat  by  the  flesh 
pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full;  for  ye  have 
brought  us  forth  into  this  wilderness,  to  kill  this  whole 
assembly  with  hunger.’’ 

It  all  seems  plain  enough  now,  and  natural  enough, 
too,  as  we  traverse  the  fertile  plain  of  Goshen  and  remem- 
ber that  this  is  the  land  in  which  the  Israelites  dwelt. 
And  then  when  we  pass  over  the  green  border  of  the  fertile 
plain  and  enter  the  silent,  mysterious  desert  with  sand 
everywhere,  and  remember  that  it  was  this  dreary,  desolate 
wilderness  into  which  the  people  had  been  led,  all  wonder 
that  they  murmured  ceases.  How  they  must  have 
dreamed,  as  they  slept  on  the  sands  of  the  desert,  of  the 
green  fields,  the  palm  groves,  and  the  sweet,  life-giving 
waters  of  the  Nile,  of  their  granaries  bursting  with  plenty, 
and  of  the  kettles  over  the  fire,  never  wanting  for  an 
abundant  supply  of  flesh.  To  awake  from  such  a dream 
in  a howling  wilderness,  with  sand  and  desolation  every- 
where, was  to  take  the  heart  back  again  to  the  land  they 
had  left.  Under  such  circumstances  and  such  surround- 
ings, they  would  have  forgotten  the  oppression  and  bitter- 
ness of  their  lives  and  thought  only  of  the  blessings  they 
had  lost.  It  is  all  plain  enough  now  and  we  wonder  no 
more  as  we  once  did,  years  ago,  why  the  children  of  Israel 
murmured  and  turned  back  in  their  hearts  to  the  “ flesh- 
pots  of  Egypt.”  The  whole  proceeding  is  entirely  in  line 
with  human  nature,  and  only  shows  how  true  the  Bible 
account  is,  even  in  the  minutest  details. 


390 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


As  we  write  these  lines,  the  thought  comes  to  us,  How 
much  better  are  professing  Christians  to-day,  with  the 
light  of  the  Gospel  and  all  the  advantages  of  a high  state 
of  civilization,  than  were  the  ignorant,  oppressed  Hebrews 
who  murmured  in  the  wilderness  of  Sin?  How  many  who 
profess  Christ  are  not  only  looking  back,  but  going  back, 
to  the  fleshpots  of  the  world?  Is  not  the  Christian  church 
moving  worldward?  Is  she  not  much  more  blameworthy 
than  were  the  Israelites?  Will  she  go  on  until  she  is 
swallowed  by  the  great  whirlpool  of  worldlyism? 

Fathers  and  mothers  in  the  Israel  of  God,  dear  young 
Christian  lambs  of  the  flock  of  Christ  Jesus,  will  you  not 
keep  your  eyes  and  your  hearts  fixed  on  the  blessed,  holy 
Land  of  Canaan  and  leave  the  world  of  fashion  and  folly 
to  the  children  of  darkness?  You  are  the  children  of  the 
light,  you  have  been  bought  with  a price,  you  are  God’s 
own.  Oh,  do  not  look  back  with  longing  eyes  to  the 
world!  Follow  the  blessed  Master,  and  in  the  end  you 
will  enter  the  Land  of  Promise,  not  an  earthly  Canaan  full 
of  ills,  but  a heavenly,  where  the  ills  of  life  trouble  not. 

As  before  stated  the  boundary  line  of  Goshen  has  not 
been  fully  determined.  A part  of  the  territory  occupied 
by  the  Israelites  has  been  settled  and  agreed  upon,  but 
the  full  extent  of  the  country  is  not  now  known.  Recent 
discoveries  have  added  much  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
country,  but  we  must  await  further  light  before  its  full  ex- 
tent can  be  determined.  Baedeker  says:  “That  Goshen  lay 
to  the  east  of  the  delta  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as  it  was 
situated  between  the  residence  of  the  Pharaohs  and  Pales- 
tine, and  the  Scriptures  make  no  mention  of  the  Nile 
having  been  crossed.”  It  contained  the  cities  of  Heliop- 
olis Beth-shemesh,  Zoan,  Pithom,  Raamses,  Tahpanhes, 
?ill  of  ydiich  have  been  identified  and  fully  described,  The 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


391 


name  of  the  district  is  still  found  preserved  in  the  town 
called  Kus  by  the  Copts  and  Takus  by  the  Arabians. 

We  arranged  for  a ride  over  the  Land  of  Goshen  and 
a visit  to  the  ruins  of  the  treasure  city  of  Pithom.  The 
difficulty  of  getting  exact  information  at  Cairo  was  in  our 
way  and  proved  in  the  end  rather  annoying.  We  had  a let- 
ter of  introduction  from  Mr.  Newberry  to  Dr.  Grant,  an 
eminent  Egyptologist,  but  unfortunately  when  we  called  at 
his  home  he  was  absent.  Dr.  Watson  kindly  gave  us  what 
information  he  could,  but  we  were  not  equipped  as  well  in 
this  respect  as  we  should  have  been. 

It  was  very  early  on  the  morning  of  Jan.  28  that  we 
left  Cairo  by  rail  for  Zagazig,  a prosperous  city  of  some 
forty  thousand  inhabitants,  forty-seven  miles  from  our 
starting-point.  Here  we  had  arranged  to  secure  donkeys 
for  our  ride  across  a portion  of  the  Land  of  Goshen  and  the 
wilderness  upon  which  the  Israelitish  host  entered  soon  aft- 
er leaving  their  homes  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  For  our  jour- 
ney we  had  secured  Achmet  Ali  as  interpreter  and 
dragoman.  He  was  recommended  as  being  honest  and 
trustworthy.  He  assured  us  that  he  could  take  us  to  the 
excavations  at  Pithom;  and  we  found  him  to  be  kind  and 
obliging.  He  appeared  on  the  scene  in  a flowing  robe,  red 
fez,  white  turban,  baggy  trousers  of  white  material,  and  yel- 
low shoes,  thus  presenting  a picturesque  appearance. 
Long  since  we  learned  not  to  trust  to  appearances,  and  we 
again  had  the  lesson  deeply  impressed  before  we  had  fin- 
ished our  ride  in  Goshen.  As  it  turned  out  our  picturesque 
dragoman  knew  less  of  the  locality  we  were  seeking  than 
we  did  ourselves. 

At  Zagazig  we  secured  good  donkeys  and  started  on 
what  proved  to  be  a long  and  wearisome  ride.  Our 
donkey-boys,  or  men,  rather,  — they  were  both  above 


392  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

twenty-five  years, — solemnly  assured  us,  in  the  name  of 
Mohammed  their  prophet,  that  we  should  reach  the  exca- 
vations in  two  hours  and  a half.  This  was  entirely  satis- 
factory, as  it  would  give  us  several  hours  at  the  ruins  and 
we  could  return  to  Zagazig  in  time  to  take  an  afternoon 
train  to  Cairo.  Trusting  to  these  assurances,  we  started 
out  in  good  spirits  in  the  following  order:  Achmet  Ali 
leading  the  way,  closely  followed  by  the  Elder  and  his 
donkey-boy,  the  writer  and  his  driver  bringing  up  the  rear. 

It  was  a bright,  beautiful  day.  The  sun  shone  from  a 
cloudless  sky  as  warm  as  if  it  had  been  midsummer  instead 
of  midwinter.  We  had  just  been  reading  of  the  cold 
weather  at  home,  the  mercury  far  below  zero,  and  we  spoke 
of  the  contrast.  We  rode  along  the  banks  of  the  great 
canal  which  carries  the  water  of  the  Nile  to  the  Land  of 
Goshen  as  it  did  in  the  days  when  the  sons  of  Jacob  tilled 
these  same  fields.  We  realized  that  we  were  in  a goodly 
land.  We  passed  by  many  prosperous  villages,  surrounded 
with  groves  of  palms.  The  fields  were  covered  with  lux- 
uriant growing  crops.  Everywhere  there  were  signs  of 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  prosperity  of  the  people. 
We  were  really  in  Goshen,  the  best  of  all  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

The  ancient  name  of  Egypt  was  Kam , which  means 
blackness,  and  we  can  now  see  the  significance  of  the  word. 
Wherever  the  soil  is  turned  up  by  the  plowman  it  is  as 
black  as  the  richest  prairie  soil.  It  forms  a striking  con- 
trast with  the  green  and  luxuriant  crops  growing  on  every 
side.  The  farmer  takes  no  pains  to  pulverize  the  soil. 
The  crops  grow  without  that  labor,  and  the  Nile  mud 
levels  it  once  each  year. 

Innumerable  birds  are  to  be  seen  as  we  ride  along  the 
line  of  the  canal.  The  pure  white  crane,  called  by  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS, 


393 


natives  aboo  goorda?i , is  the  most  plentiful.  Standing  in 
green  fields  their  white  raiment  looks  very  pretty.  In 
their  hieroglyphics  the  ancient  Egyptians  used  the  figure 
of  this  bird  to  represent  the  soul,  and  as  a result  it  came 


The  Egyptian  Ibis , 


394 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


to  be  regarded  with  sacred  reverence.  This  feeling  is  still 
dominant,  and  the  white  crane  is  never  disturbed  by  the 
Egyptian  farmer.  Then  there  are  hawks,  kites,  storks, 
pigeons  and  the  kestrel,  which  was  also  an  object  of  vener- 
ation among  the  ancient  Egyptians.  They  worshiped  it 
under  the  name  of  Horus.  They  also  held  the  ibis  sacred 
to  the  name  of  the  god  Thoth,  who  was  regarded  as  the 
god  of  time,  measures  and  numbers.  Myriads  of  the  ibis 
were  embalmed  and  buried  in  the  bird  catacombs,  where 
they  are  still  to  be  found  in  a good  state  of  preservation. 
The  ibis  is  now  extinct. 

Now  and  then  we  met  long  caravans  of  camels,  laden 
with  heavy  burdens,  growling  and  grunting  as  they  passed, 
uttering,  as  it  were,  a protest  against  everything  and  every- 
body. Groups  of  farmers  were  to  be  seen  lounging  under 
the  shade  of  palm  trees,  or  at  work  at  the  shaduf  and 
sakkieh  raising  water  from  the  canal  to  the  level  of  their 
fields.  Veiled  women,  clad  in  a single  blue  garment,  came 
down  to  the  canal,  filled  their  water  jars,  poised  them 
gracefully  on  their  heads,  walked  away  to  the  village  as 
easily  and  as  gracefully  as  if  they  were  not  burdened  with 
five  gallons  of  water. 

Men,  women  and  children  on  foot,  men  and  boys  on 
donkeys,  men  on  camels,  we  met  by  the  score.  And  there 
was  a great,  strong,  strapping  fellow  riding  a donkey  and 
carrying  a child  while  his  wife  trudged  along  at  his  side, 
bearing  on  her  head  a load  heavy  enough  for  the  strongest 
man  to  carry.  It  wras  the  old,  old  story  of  woman’s  slavery 
and  degradation,  which  is  repeated  over  and  over  again  in 
these  eastern  countries. 

And  there  we  had  the  brickmakers  at  work.  It  was  a 
scene  such  as  might  have  been  witnessed  at  this  very  same 
place  thirty-three  centuries  ago  when  the  sons  of  Jacob 


Wanderings  in  Bible  lands. 


395 


dwelt  in  the  Land  of  Goshen.  The  clay  was  dug  up  with 
the  same  kind  of  hoes  used  in  the  olden  time;  it  was  car- 
ried in  baskets  and  thrown  into  a round  pit  dug  in  the 
ground.  Water  was  then  poured  upon  it,  the  straw  was 
thrown  in  and  the  men  trod  the  mass  until  it  was  thorough- 
ly mixed.  Then,  with  the  hands,  the  clay  was  made  into 
large  balls  and  carried  in  the  arms  to  the  moulder,  who, 
squatting  on  the  ground  with  a crude  mould  before  him, 
gave  shape  to  the  bricks.  These  were  then  placed  in  rows 
on  the  ground,  where  they  were  left  to  dry  and  bake  in  the 
hot  sun.  They  were  then  ready  for  use  and  were  built  into 
the  walls  of  the  houses. 

We  stopped  some  time  and  watched  the  men  at  their 
work.  It  was  an  interesting  scene  and  well  worth  a care- 
ful study.  We  had  seen  on  the  ruined  walls  of  the  ancient 
City  of  Thebes  a picture  representing  brickmaking,  painted 
there  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago.  And  now  here 
we  had  before  us  the  same  thing  in  real  life.  The  hoes, 
the  baskets,  the  pit,  the  moulder  and  the  bricks  were  just 
the  same.  The  only  features  wanting  were  the  taskmasters 
and  Jewish  faces.  Supply  these,  and  we  should  have  had 
in  the  Land  of  Goshen  on  that  day,  Jan.  28,  1893,  an  exact 
reproduction  of  the  brickmaking  of  the  Israelites  thirty- 
three  centuries  ago.  Singular,  indeed,  how  the  Egyptians 
cling  to  the  old  way  of  doing  things. 

Continuing  our  ride,  we  passed  by  a large  village 
where  a weekly  market  was  being  held.  By  common  con- 
sent of  the  people,  one  of  the  villages  is  selected  and  a 
market  day  appointed.  Then  the  people  come  together 
from  all  the  villages  round  about,  bring  their  wares  and 
products  together,  and  buy  and  sell  and  trade.  Fully  a 
thousand  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  were  assembled 
in  the  open  space  before  the  village.  Long  before  we 


396 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


came  near  the  place  we  heard  the  noise  of  many  voices. 
It  was  a matter  of  surprise  to  us  how  any  business  could 
be  transacted  amid  so  much  loud  talking,  yelling,  confu- 
sion, but  purchases  were  made,  trades  effected,  and  the 
people,  we  were  told,  came  and  went  the  greater  part  of 
the  day. 

In  the  Land  of  Goshen  we  saw  another  and  quite  a 
simple  method  of  raising  the  water  from  the  fresh  water 
canals  to  the  level  of  the  fields.  A basket  with  ropes 
attached  at  either  side  is  the  simple  machine  used.  Two 
men  stand  facing  each  other  in  the  water,  grasping  the 
ropes  in  either  hand.  By  a swinging  motion  the  basket  is 
filled  with  water  which,  by  a dexterous  movement  of  the 
ropes,  is  thrown  into  a reservoir  from  which  it  is  led  by 
ditches  to  the  fields.  This  method  is  only  used  when  it  is 
not  necessary  to  lift  the  water  very  high.  It  is  remarkable 
how  much  water  two  men  will  raise  by  means  of  a basket 
and  ropes  in  a single  day.  But  it  is  hard  work  swinging  a 
basket  in  this  way  hour  after  hour.  The  men,  partially 
nude,  stand  in  the  hot  sun  as  do  the  “fathers  of  the  shaduf” 
and  sing  in  a low,  monotonous  tone  as  they  raise  the  water. 
The  annexed  photogravure  will  give  an  excellent  idea  of 
this  method  of  irrigating  the  fields  in  the  Land  of  Goshen. 

We  crossed  the  large  canal  by  a well-constructed 
bridge,  then  followed  a smaller  watercourse  some  distance, 
and  were  finally  ferried  across.  We  rode  toward  the  line 
of  the  desert,  which  was  in  view  in  the  distance,  and  in  a 
short  time  we  reached  the  border  of  the  plain  and  rode  out 
upon  the  sand  of  the  desert.  We  had  been  so  much  inter- 
ested in  the  fertile  land  and  the  strange  scenes  by  which 
we  were  surrounded  that  wc  had  taken  no  note  of  the  time. 
Consulting  our  watches  we  found  that  it  was  half  past  one, 
and  that  we  had  been  in  the  saddle  some  four  hours.  We 


|J\  1 

f jm 

1 1 i 

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1 1 

■ JWk  a 

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Raising  Water  with  a Basket. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


399 


realized  at  once  that  the  promise  made  by  Achmet  and  the 
donkey-boys,  that  we  should  reach  the  ruins  in  two  hours 
and  a half,  was  a bit  of  fruitful  imagination  of  our  Arab 
attendants.  Achmet  was  asked  to  say  now  how  much 
more  time  would  probably  pass  before  we  should  arrive  at 
our  destination.  He  held  a consultation  with  the  donkey- 
boys  and  said  with  the  utmost  assurance,  “We  go  there 
very  soon,  in  half  hour.” 

Our  course  led  us  farther  and  farther  into  the  desert, 
and  we  had  lost  sight  of  the  green  fields  of  Goshen.  Our 
donkeys,  sank  to  the  fetlocks  in  the  sand  at  every  step, 
and  at  the  end  of  another  hour  were  entirely  fagged  out. 
We  called  a halt.  It  had  become  painfully  evident  to  us 
that  some  one  in  our  party  had  been  untruthful.  We 
spoke  our  mind  pretty  freely  to  Achmet.  We  had  now 
been  in  the  saddle  five  hours.  “How  about  the  two  and 
a half  hours’  ride?”  we  asked  him.  He  declared  that  the 
donkey-boys  had  deceived  him.  It  was  the  saddest  day 
of  his  life.  He  was  much,  very  much  sorry,  his  life  was  of 
but  little  value  to  him;  he  cared  not  for  himself,  but  for 
us;  but  he  could  not  help  it,  he  had  been  basely  deceived 
by  those  miserable  donkey-boys.  There  was  no  help  for 
it  now.  We  must  ride  on.  “We  get  there  plenty  soon 
now,  very  soon,”  he  said.  But  we  had  lost  confidence  in 
our  dragoman.  He  looked  well  enough,  but  his  promises 
were  valueless.  He  put  the  blame  on  the  boys,  but  as  they 
could  not  talk  English  we  could  not  decide  the  merits  of 
the  case.  One  thing,  however,  he  said  which  appeared 
to  be  true,  “We  must  ride  on.”  It  was  too  late  now  to 
think  of  retracing  our  steps,  and  so  we  pushed  ahead  across 
the  desert  sand. 

Our  donkeys  had  a hard  time  of  it,  and  the  Elder  and 
the  writer,  taking  pity  on  the  fagged-out  animals,  conclud- 


4oo 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ed  to  walk  and  allow  them  to  rest.  We  trudged  on 
through  the  sand  under  a hot  sun  fcr  half  an  hour.,  and 
looking  back  saw  that  the  donkey-boys  had  mounted  and 
were  leisurely  riding  after  us.  But  for  the  provoking  ele- 
ment in  this  incident,  it  would  have  been  amusing.  We 
remounted  and  pushed  on  until  four  o’clock.  We  had 
been  winding  about  in  the  desert  for  some  hours,  and  it 
was  apparent  to  us  that  neither  Achmet  nor  the  donkey- 
boys  knew  our  whereabouts.  Seeing  a Beduin  encamp- 
ment on  a hillside  not  far  away,  we  rode  up  to  it  and 
directed  Achmet  to  call  the  sheik  and  inquire  as  to  our 
whereabouts.  The  chief  man  of  the  place  met  us  as  we 
neared  the  tent.  He  had  a long  gun  on  his  shoulder  and 
strode  out  to  see  what  the  strangers  wanted,  war  or  peace. 
He  was  soon  assured  that  our  mission  was  a peaceful  one, 
and  he  pointed  out  to  us  in  the  distance  the  mounds  where 
the  excavations  for  which  we  were  looking  had  been  made. 
In  the  distance  a few  palm  trees  were  visible,  and  we  were 
informed  that  these  marked  the  site  of  Tel-el-Kebir. 

The  sun  was  nearing  the  western  horizon,  and  as  we 
had  no  desire  to  sleep  on  the  sands  of  the  desert  we  hur- 
ried on,  keeping  the  palm  trees  before  us.  After  some 
time  we  came  to  the  border  of  a salt  lake  and  marsh.  It 
was  at  least  a mile  wide  and  seemed  to  be  ten  miles  long. 
To  reach  the. village  we  must  either  cross  the  marsh  or 
ride  around  it.  We  rode  along  the  bank  for  a mile  or 
more,  and  then  reached  a place  where  the  ground  seemed 
solid  enough  to  bear  us  up.  A channel  had  been  cut 
across  at  this  point,  and  the  muck  thrown  out  formed  a 
low  bank  on  the  side  of  the  ditch.  The  Elder  said,  “We 
must  either  cross  here  or  make  up  our  minds  to  sleep  on 
the  desert  to-night.”  Neither  prospect  was  inviting,  but 
the  thought  of  prowling  jackals  and  hyenas  decided  us  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


401 


try  the  crossing.  However,  if  the  decision  had  remained 
with  the  author  the  attempt  to  cross  the  marsh  would  not 
have  been  made,  and  the  night,  as  we  afterward  found 
when  we  learned  the  length  of  the  marsh,  would  have  been 
spent  on  the  desert. 

We  rode  in  upon  the  soft,  spongy  ground  of  the  salt 
marsh.  For  a short  distance  from  the  bank  it  seemed 
solid  enough  to  bear  up  our  donkeys,  and  we  were  begin- 
ning to  congratulate  ourselves  that  the  crossing  could  be 
easily  made.  But  we  had  not  proceeded  many  rods  when 
Achmet’s  donkey  sank  down  hopelessly,  and  our  pictur- 
esque dragoman  was  floundering  in  the  mud  and  water. 
Before  he  could  turn  back,  the  Elder  was  in  the  same  plight. 
I looked  upon  my  companions  wading  in  the  soft  mud  and 
dark-colored  water,  and  congratulated  myself  that  I had 
been  wiser  than  they.  I said  to  them,  “I  told  you  cross- 
ing here  was  not  safe.  I am  glad  I did  not  follow  you  too 
closely;  you  are  not  good  leaders.”  But  pride  goeth  be- 
fore a fall.  Even  while  these  things  were  taking  place,  and 
in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  me  to  write  them  down  here, 
my  own  donkey  moved  a little  to  one  side,  sank  down  to 
the  girth  in  the  mud  and  I was  keeping  company  with  my 
unfortunate  companions.  We  waded  to  the  bank  along 
the  ditch,  and  found  solid  footing.  Looking  back  we  saw 
the  three  donkeys  sticking  fast  in  the  mud  and  the  men 
wringing  their  hands  and  calling  on  Allah  to  help  them. 
It  was  well,  for  we  could  render  them  no  assistance. 

Night  was  coming  on  and  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
swamp.  Setting  our  faces  toward  the  farther  shore,  we 
pushed  on.  At  many  places  the  little  ridge  gave  way  and 
we  were  compelled  to  wade  in  the  mud  and  water  nearly 
knee-deep.  After  a mile  of  this  kind  of  traveling  we 
reached  the  solid  ground  again,  and  later  came  to  an  Arab 


402 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


village.  We  were  told  upon  inquiry  that  Tel-el-Kebir  was 
not  far  away.  We  hurried  on,  and  at  sunset  reached  the 
station,  worn  out  and  hungry.  We  had  not  tasted  food  or 
water  since  we  ate  our  breakfast  in  Cairo  in  the  early 
morning.  We  ate  our  lunch  with  thankful  hearts,  and 
afterwards  secured  a cup  of  Arab  coffee.  We  had  ridden, 
walked  and  waded  not  less  than  thirty  miles.  Part  of  this 
distance  was  across  the  hot  desert.  It  was  a hard  day’s 
work;  but  we  had  seen  what  we  supposed  to  be  the  ruins  of 
Pithom,  one  of  the  treasure  cities  of  Pharaoh  built  by  the 
children  of  Israel. 

The  donkeys  and  drivers  reached  the  station  later  in 
the  evening,  presenting  a sorry  appearance  as  they  came 
in.  Both  donkeys  and  men  were  literally  covered  with 
mud.  They  had  a hard  time  lifting  their  animals  out  of 
the  mud  and  getting  them  across  the  marsh,  and  they  were 
“plenty  tired.”  We  pitied  the  poor  fellows,  but  we  also 
felt  that  they  were  blameworthy  and  got  no  more  than 
they  deserved.  When  we  came  to  settle  with  them  they  de- 
manded double  pay  and  extra  backsheesh.  It  never  seems 
to  enter  the  head  of  a Moslem  that  he  can  be  held  to  blame 
for  any  mishap  that  may  occur,  no  matter  how  much  he 
may  be  at  fault.  It  was  “ Allah’s  will,”  and  that  ends  the 
whole  matter.  We  paid  them  a fair  price  for  the  day’s 
work  and,  adding  a shilling  for  backsheesh,  dismissed 
them. 

As  for  Achmet,  he  was  a sad  man.  His  yellow  slip- 
pers, white  trousers,  flowing  robe,  and  fine  turban  were 
mud-stained  and  soiled.  He  wore  the  face  of  sorrow,  large- 
ly made  up  for  the  occasion,  as  we  have  reason  to  believe. 
After  lunch  he  said,  “This  makes  me  more  sorry  than  all 
my  life,  I care  not  for  myself,  but  you.  My  life  I care  not 
for.”  He  then  took  off  his  turban  and  fez,  and  bowed 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  403 

his  bared  head  before  us,  saying,  “You  break  Achmet’s 
head  with  your  cane;  he  care  not  to.  live.”  This  was  said 
with  much  feeling,  but  the  Arab  did  not  intend  that  it 
should  be  taken  literally;  it  was  only  intended  to  intensify 
his  expressions  of  regret  and  deep  sorrow  for  what  had 
occurred.  He  felt  extremely  bitter  towards  the  donkey- 
boys,  and  of  course  put  all  the  blame  upon  them.  He  de- 
clared if  it  were  not  for  the  law  of  Egypt  both  of  them 
would  be  dead  men,  but  the  law  restrained  him.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  money  paid  them  he  said,  “You  pay  plenty 
money,  you  get  no  good,  just  same  as  pouring  water  on 
sand.”  The  force  of  this  expression  will  be  seen  by  those 
who  have  poured  water  on  the  hot  sand  of  the  desert.  It 
disappears,  and  no  good  results.  Notwithstanding  his 
apparent  sorrow  and  his  laying  the  blame  of  the  failure  of 
our  expedition  upon  the  donkey-boys  we  left  him,  feeling 
that  he  was  more  blameworthy  than  they. 

At  8 o’clock  the  train  arrived  for  Cairo,  and  at  11:30 
we  were  again  in  our  hotel.  Sleep  and  rest  are  sweet  to 
the  weary,  and  how  we  did  rest  and  sleep  the  night  after 
our  weary  journey!  It  was,  after  all,  an  interesting  day’s 
work.  It  was  one  of  those  experiences  in  life  which,  when 
passed,  one  does  not  regret  having  had,  but  having  had  it, 
does  not  care  to  go  through  with  it  again. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


tr 

The  A?nericaji  Mission  in  Egypt. — A Funeral  and  a Wedding. — The 
Sakka. — Cairo  to  Alexandria. — The  Delta. — The  Arms  of  the  Nile. 
— The  Fair  at  Tanta. — Alexandria. — The  Scptuagint. — The  In- 
troduction of  Christianity. — The  First  Christian  School. — A great 
Library  and  its  Destruction. — The  Modern  City. — Catacombs. — 
Pompcy's  Pillar. 

are  again  in  Cairo,  and  spend  several  days  in  vis- 
ing the  American  Mission  Schools,  the  mosques  of 
le  city,  in  studying  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  people  and  in  writing  up  notes  and  letters.  One  might 
write  a volume  on  the  street  scenes  of  the  capital  of  Egypt 
and  still  leave  the  subject  unexhausted.  To  the  western 
traveler  this  oriental  city  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in 
the  world. 

Not  only  at  Cairo,  but  on  our  journey  up  the  Nile  we 
saw  much  of  the  work  of  the  American  Mission,  conducted 
bv  the  Presbyterian  church  tVe  --isited  the  schools  at  a 
number  of  places  and  found  much  activity  among  the 
workers.  Dr.  Watson  who  went  to  Cairo  in  1861,.  then  in 
his  prime,  now  wears  a silver  crown.  He  said,  in  answer  to 
a question  how  long  he  intended  to  stay  when  he  came  to 
Cairo,  “As  long  as  the  Lord  lets  me  live.”  This  is  the 
true  missionary  spirit.  Phe  r ' ‘>cipal  work  of  the  mission 
is  educational. 

From  the  report  for  1892  we  glean  the  following  facts 
concerning  the  work:  During  the  past  year,  at  the  one 

404 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


405 


hundred  and  thirty-four  stations  occupied,  there  were  held 
three  thousand,  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  religious 
meetings  throughout  the  country,  and  an  increase  of  four 
hundred  and  seventeen  to  the  church  is  noted.  The  report 
says: 

“The  number  of  Sabbath  schools  reported  is  one  hun- 
dred and  nine,  attended  by  five  thousand,  four  hundred  and 
forty-seven  pupils.  Sabbath  school  organization  is  difficult 
on  account  of  scarcity  of  qualified  workers.  The  Interna- 
tional Series  of  lessons  is  used.  A two  page  leaflet,  in  the 
Arabic  language,  explaining  the  lesson,  is  distributed  week- 
ly. Over  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  of  these  little 
leaflets  were  sent  out  during  the  year.  They  do  service  not 
only  as  helps  in  preparing  the  lesson,  but  also  to  some  ex- 
tent as  tracts,  distributed  among  those  that  do  not  attend 
Sabbath  school.  A few  of  the  older  schools  bore  the  entire 
expense  of  publishing  these  papers  the  past  year.  These 
helps  are  distributed  free  to. all  schools  that  will  use  them. 

“ During  the  year  one  hundred  and  ten  schools  were  in 
operation,  with  six  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  pupils  attending  them.  Of  this  number  four  thou- 
sand, six  hundred  and  twenty-six  were  boys,  and  two 
thousand,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  were  girls.  Our 
Mission  Schools  have  educated  almost  all  our  pastors  and 
teachers.  The  demand  of  the  government  for  our  pupils, 
to  enter  the  various  departments  of  service,  has  been  so 
great,  as  even  seriously  to  interfere  with  the  efficiency  of 
some  of  our  higher  classes.  Our  schools  have  for  years  en- 
joyed a high  reputation  in  Egypt  for  efficiency,  and  our 
constant  aim  is  to  gradually  raise  the  standard  of  scholar- 
ship. Under  the  present  administration  the  Egyptian  Gov- 
ernment schools  in  the  larger  cities  have  been  very  greatly 
improved.  Nothing  has  been  done  however  for  primary 


406 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


schools  in  the  villages  throughout  the  country.  Our 
schools  remain  alone  in  the  work  of  providing  education 
for  the  children  of  the  peasant  class.” 

Dr.  J.  R.  Alexander,  who  has  charge  of  the  mission 
schools  at  Assiut,  told  us  that  in  the  work  of  the  mission 
comparatively  few  Mohammedans  were  brought  into  the 
church.  It  seems  a very  difficult  matter  to  turn  them  from 
their  faith,  and  those  who  do  change  often  go  back  again. 
Their  converts  are  largely  from  the  Coptic  church.  In  the 
education  of  the  children  the  mission  is  doing  an  important 
work.  With  nearly  seven  thousand  children  in  their 
schools  they  will  be  able  to  plant  seed  that  will  surely  bear 
fruit  in  the  years  to  come. 

Cairo  is  a city  of  Mohammedan  mosques  (places  of 
worship)  and  some  of  them  are  really  fine  buildings.  One 
of  these,  the  Alabaster  Mosque,  the  walls  of  which  are  cov- 
ered with  blocks  and  slabs  of  alabaster,  presents  a rich  ap- 
pearance, and  is  a fine  building. 

Returning  to  our  hotel  from  our  visit  to  the  mosques 
and  the  tombs  of  the  khaliffs,  the  burial-place  of  the  rulers 
of  Egypt,  we  passed  through  the  principal  street,  called 
“The  Muski.”  Here  we  met  a funeral  procession.  The 
coffin,  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  four  stalwart  men,  was 
covered  with  fine  cashmere  shawls.  The  occupant  must 
have  been  a person  of  note,  judging  from  the  large  number 
of  hired  mourners  that  followed  it  and  the  amount  of  noise 
they  made.  The  procession  of  carriages  carrying  relatives 
and  friends  was  also  quite  large.  Before  the  sound  of 
mourning  had  died  away  our  cars  were  greeted  with  music 
and  songs  of  rejoicing.  It  was  a wedding  procession  on 
the  same  street.  A band  of  music  was  moving  along  and 
playing  a lively  air.  A number  of  young  men  followed  on 
foot  singing  songs.  Then  came  a carriage  completely  cov- 


The  Sakka.  Egyptian  Water  Carriei. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


40CJ 


cred  with  cloth  of  gold,  in  which  the  bride  sat  hid  from  the 
view  of  those  who  thronged  the  street.  Her  friends  fol- 
lowed her  in  open  carriages,  making  every  demonstration 
of  joy.  The  contrast  was  most  striking.  A wedding  and  a 
funeral.  The  song  of  rejoicing  and  the  wailing  of  the 
mourners.  So  do  sunlight  and  shadow,  light  and  darkness, 
hope  and  despair,  rejoicing  and  weeping,  life  and  death, 
joy  and  sorrow  crowd  upon  each  other  in  this  old  world  of 
ours.  But  it  is  not  often  that  we  see  the  two  opposites  so 
closely  and  so  strikingly  brought  together  as  we  saw  them 
in  Cairo. 

The  most  industrious  class  of  people  in  Cairo,  it 
seemed  to  us,  were  the  sakkas  or  water-carriers.  The  sakka 
may  be  met  on  the  streets  of  Cairo  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
with  his  well-filled  goatskin  slung  on  his  back.  He  is  car- 
rying water  from  the  Nile  to  fill  the  empty  jars  of  his  cus- 
tomers. For  his  slavish  labor  he  receives  a mere  pittance. 
And  yet  he  is  patient,  murmuring  to  himself,  “ God  will  re- 
ward me.”  In  filling  his  goatskin  he  wades  into  the  water, 
lays  the  skin  down,  holds  the  neck  open  with  one  hand 
and  by  a skillful  motion  with  the  other  fills  it  full  of  water. 
Then,  slinging  it  on  his  back  with  a strap  across  his  shoul- 
der* he  trudges  along  with  his  load,  a veritable  burden- 
bearer.  The  photogravure  which  is  here  given  shows  one 
of  these  faithful  laborers  standing  in  the  water  with  his 
goatskin,  which  has  just  been  filled,  strapped  on  his  back 
ready  to  start.  As  it  was  taken  from  life  it  also  gives  a 
good  likeness  of  one  of  the  sakkas  of  Cairo,  as  well  as  the 
style  of  dress  worn  by  this  class. 

The  usual  route  taken  by  travelers  to  Egypt  is  to  land 
at  Alexandria  and  then  journey  by  rail  a distance  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles  to  the  City  of  Cairo.  The 
books  of  travel  usually  describe  Alexandria  first,  then  give 


4io 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


an  account  of  Cairo  and  the  pyramids.  Then  a trip  by  rail 
to  Ismailia  is  made  and  a boat  ride  from  the  latter  place 
to  Suez  is  taken  on  the  canal,  and  the  Egyptian  tour  is 
completed.  A tour  of  this  kind  gives  one  but»a  very  limit- 
ed idea  of  the  country.  It  comprises  but  a few  hundred 
miles  of  travel  and  may  be,  and  often  is,  accomplished  in  a 
very  few  days  by  travelers  who  do  the  country. 

Those  who  have  followed  us  thus  far  in  our  wanderings 
will  know  that  we  landed  at  Suez  and  came  to  Cairo  via 
Ismailia.  We  omitted  visiting  Alexandria  until  our  re- 
turn from  the  second  cataract.  A very  good  railway  is  in 
operation  between  Cairo  and  Alexandria,  and  the  journey 
may  be  made  in  about  four  hours.  Soon  after  leaving 
Cairo  the  road  enters  upon  the  district  known  as  the  Delta 
of  Egypt.  The  delta  is  triangular  in  form  and  is  not  a 
valley,  as  is  the  country  south  of  Cairo,  but  a vast  alluvial 
plain,  extending  to  a width  of  from  seventy  to  one  hundred 
miles  and  containing  not  less  than  seven  thousand  square 
miles.  The  district  is  flat,  without  any  natural  elevation, 
and  is  remarkable  for  the  wonderful  fertility  of  its  soil. 
At  present  the  Nile  flows  through  the  delta  in  two  great 
branches,  emptying  its  surplus  waters  into  the  Mediterrane- 
an Sea  at  Rosetta  and  Damietta.  Between  these  two 
great  branches  of  the  river  of  Egypt  there  are  many 
streams  and  canals,  all  fed,  however,  from  its  waters.  By 
means  of  these  branches,  streams  and  canals  the  country  is 
well  watered  and  is  perhaps  the  richest  agricultural  terri- 
tory in  the  world. 

As  has  already  been  noted,  the  Nile  has  undergone 
great  changes  in  its  branches  in  the  delta  in  modern 
times.  In  ancient  times  it  had  seven  branches,  of  which 
the  Pclusiac,  the  Canopic,  the  Tanitic  and  the  Mendesian 
were  the  principal  ones.  Speaking  of  these  branches  Raw- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


41 1 

linson  says:  “The  Pelusiac  branch  which  was  originally  a 
principal  one  is  now  almost  entirely  dried  up,  and  the 
Tanitic  and  Mendesian  branches  have  similarly  disap- 
peared.”* Manning  says:  “ The  river  formerly  ran  through 
the  delta  in  seven  channels.  Five  of  these  are  dried  up, 
and  only  two  remain,  known  as  the  Rosetta  and  Damietta 
branches. ”f  And  he  further  states  that  the  remaining 
mouths  of  these  branches  are  not  natural  but  artificial 
channels.  Thus  we  may  see  for  ourselves,  as  we  travel 
over  the  delta  of  Egypt  to-day,  that  the  words  of  the 
prophet  have  been  fulfilled;  the  seven  streams  of  the  Nile 
have  been  smitten  and  dried  up  so  that  we  may  pass  over 
them  dry-shod. 

Soon  after  leaving  Cairo  we  pass  through  the  City  of 
Tanta  which  has  a population  of  sixty  thousand.  At  this 
place  three  annual  fairs  are  held,  at  which  great  numbers  of 
people  assemble.  The  principal  fair  is  held  in  August  and 
continues  an  entire  week.  It  is  said  that  upwards  of  half  a 
million  people  congregate  here  during  the  fair  week. 
They  come  from  all  the  countries  bordering  on  the  Medi- 
terranean and  from  the  Mohammedan  part  of  Africa. 
These  bring  with  them  merchandise  to  sell.  European 
merchants  are  also  to  be  found  in  the  throng.  The  fair  is 
simply  a place  for  the  sale  of  merchandise  and  the 
products  of  the  various  eastern  countries  represented. 
The  Egyptian  farmers  attend  the  place  in  large  numbers 
and  purchase  cattle,  farming  implements,  clothing  and 
other  articles.  Upwards  of  a million  head  of  cattle  are  sold 
at  these  fairs  during  the  year. 

The  place  presents  a lively  appearance.  Long  proces- 
sions of  camels  laden  with  chests  and  bales  are  seen  con- 


* “ History  of  Ancient  Egypt,”  page  2g. 
f “The  Land  of  the  Pharaohs,”  page  22. 


412 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


verging  towards  the  town,  accompanied  by  crowds  of  men 
and  large  herds  of  cattle.  The  banks  of  the  canal  are 
thronged  with  persons  washing  themselves  and  drawing 
water.  The  streets  teem  with  the  most  animated  traffic, 
and  are  filled  with  long  rows  of  booths,  in  many  of  which 
the  occupants  are  seen  plying  their  handicrafts.  Dervishes 
with  disheveled  hair  and  ragged  clothes,  cripples  and 
idiots,  who  are  treated  with  great  respect,  are  clamorous 
for  backsheesh.* 

We  have  been  traveling  over  a very  rich  country,  so 
far  as  the  land  is  concerned,  and  if  the  people  were  not 
taxed  so  heavily  they  would  be  prosperous  and  happy;  but 
they  must  pay  about  an  average  of  six  dollars  a year  to  the 
Egyptian  government  for  taxes.  The  soil  here  is  the  black 
Nile  mud  deposited  on  a bed  of  sand,  and  its  fertility  is 
surprising.  Passing  over  the  delta  we  are  reminded  of 
what  Ebcrs  says  of  the  country.  He  too  passed  over  it  in 
the  winter,  if  the  spring-like  weather  here  in  January  can 
be  called  winter.  The  fields,  he  says,  are  still  wet  in 
places,  and  straight  canals  are  seen  in  every  direction.  All 
cereals  grown  in  ancient  times  still  flourish  here,  and  the 
slender  palm  still  rears  its  fruit-laden  crown  beside  the 
less  frequent  sycamore,  with  its  slender  umbrageous 
foliage.  The  cotton  plants  are  successfully  cultivated 
where  the  soil  is  well  irrigated  and  form  extensive  planta- 
tions of  underwood;  vineyards  arc  rare,  but  they  some- 
times occur  in  the  northern  part  of  the  delta,  the  plants 
being  trained  on  the  trellis-work  which  we  often  sec  repre- 
sented in  the  paintings  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  tombs. 
The  water-wheels  (sakkiehs)  are  turned  by  buffaloes  and 
donkeys,  and  sometimes  by  camels  or  by  steam;  and  the 
shaduf,  though  less  common  than  in  Upper  Egypt,  is  occa- 


* '•  Lower  Egypt,”  page  226. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


413 


sionally  plied  by  slightly-clad  men  and  boys.  The  canals 
are  flanked  with  embankments  to  protect  the  fields  from 
inundation,  and  the  paths  on  these  banks  are  enlivened 
with  strings  of  camels,  donkeys  with  their  riders,  and  men, 
women  and  children  on  foot.  From  a distance  the  villages 
look  like  round,  grey  hillocks,  full  of  openings,  and  around 
them  rise  dovecotes  and  palm  trees.  On  closer  examina- 
tion we  distinguish  the  mudhuts  huddled  together  on  rising 
ground  where  they  are  safe  from  inundation.  Many  of 
these  villages  are  surrounded  by  handsome  groves  of  palm 
trees.* 

When  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  was  in  progress  in  the 
United  States  the  Egyptian  farmers  on  the  delta  made  a 
golden  harvest  of  their  cotton  crops.  The  price  advanced 
beyond  anything  ever  before  known  in  the  history  of  the 
product.  This  great  advance  so  stimulated  the  production 
of  the  plant  that  the  delta  became  one  vast  cotton  field. 
With  the  close  of  the  war  trade  again  fell  into  its  usual 
channels,  the  price  of  cotton  fell  and  many  a poor  Egyp- 
tian farmer  was  bankrupt. 

In  the  delta  the  steam  engine  is  used  to  raise  water  by 
the  better  class  of  farmers.  The  prejudice  here  against 
modern  improvements  and  innovations,  while  it  is  yet 
strong,  is  wearing  away  and  is  not  so  manifest  as  in  Upper 
Egypt.  Having  large  plantations,  they  are  better  to  do 
than  their  brethren  in  the  upper  country.  Their  homes  are 
not  entirely  devoid  of  comforts,  and  in  many  respects  their 
lot  is  not  a hard  one. 

We  cross  the  Rosetta  arm  of  the  Nile  at  Zaiyat,  where 
there  is  a long,  well-constructed  iron  railway  bridge,  and 
follow  the  west  bank  of  the  stream,  skirting  the  border  line 
between  the  Libyan  desert  and  the  cultivated  lands  of  the 


* Ebers,  “ Goshen,”  etc. 


414 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


delta;  and  then  passing  between  the  lakes  Mareotis  an’d 
Aboukir  we  have  our  first  glimpse  of  the  minarets  of  Alex- 
andria. 

Compared  with  Thebes,  Memphis  and  Heliopolis, 
Alexandria  is  a modern  city,  and  yet  it  was  founded  by 
Alexander  the  Great  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  years 
before  the  birth  of  Christ.  After  he  had  conquered  the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs  the  great  general  left  this  city  bear- 
ing his  name,  “ a magnificent  and  lasting  memorial  of  his 
Egyptian  campaign.”  Here  it  was  that  the  great  general 
was  buried.  The  harbor  and  the  surroundings  are  admira- 
bly adapted  for  a great  commercial  city,  and  Napoleon  said 
that  Alexander  showed  more  wisdom  in  the  selection  of 
the  site  for  his  capital  of  Egypt  than  he  did  in  all  his  bat- 
tles and  victories.  The  sheltered  harbor  is  large  enough  to 
float  all  the  navies  of  the  world. 

In  the  days  of  its  greatest  prosperity  and  glory  Alex- 
andria became  the  center  of  trade  between  the  East  and 
the  West.  It  grew  until  its  inhabitants  numbered  over  half 
a million.  It  was  not  only  the  center  of  eastern  commerce, 
but  it  became  also  th  center  of  learning  and  literature.  It 
was  the  great  educational  city  of  the  East.  It  had  at  one 
time  an  immense  library,  numbering  nearly  half  a million 
volumes,  or  rather  rolls  of  manuscript.  Many  learned 
Jews  from  Jerusalem  lived  in  the  city,  and  it  was  here  that 
the  Old  Testament  was  for  the  first  time  translated  into  the 
Greek.  A letter  is  extant  which  purports  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  how  the  translation  came  to  be  made.  It  says 
that  one  Demetrius,  keeper  of  the  Alexandrian  library, 
proposed  to  Ptolemy  II,  who  reigned  B.  C.  286-247,  to 
have  a Greek  copy  of  the  Old  Testament  made  for  the 
library.  The  king  assented,  and  seventy-two  learned  Jews, 
selected  with  great  care,  were  set  apart  for  the  work.  The 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


415 


sacred  roll  of  the  law  was  brought  to  Alexandria  from  Je- 
rusalem, the  translation  was  made  and  a copy  of  it  was 
placed  in  the  library.  The  title  of  the  work  was  the  Sep- 
tuagint,  so  called  because  it  is  said  to  be  the  work  of  the 
seventy-two  writers.  The  name  still  clings  to  this  ancient 
version  of  the  Old  Testament.  Whether  the  tradition  in 
regard  to  the  LXX  be  true  or  not,  it  is  established  that  this 
translation  was  made  at  Alexandria  at  least  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  before  Christ. 

The  evangelist  St.  Mark  introduced  Christianity  into 
Alexandria  and  may  have  written  his  version  of  the  Gospel 
at  this  place.  The  church  prospered  and  very  soon  grew 
so  large  that  it  outranked  both  Jerusalem  and  Antioch  in 
importance  Here  the  first  Christian  school  or  college  was 
established,  and  tradition  says  that  it  was  founded  by  St. 
Mark  himself.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  a fact  that  in  A.  D. 
189,  when  the  learned  bishop  Clement  took  charge  of  the 
school,  succeeding  his  master  Pansenus,  the  institution 
was  in  a prosperous  condition.  The  good  bishop  labored 
here  for  years  expounding  the  Scriptures  and  meeting  and 
overthrowing  by  argument  the  various  heathen  systems  of 
philosophy  and  religion  which  were  prevalent  in  his  day. 
It  was  here,  too,  that  Origen  when  in  his  eighteenth  year 
was  appointed  to  succeed  Clement  in  the  school.  He  gave 
himself  wholly  to  teaching  in  the  school  and  refused  all 
remuneration  for  his  services.  He  sold  the  books  which  he 
possessed, — many  of  them  manuscripts  which  he  himself 
had  copied, — on  condition  that  he  should  receive  from  the 
purchaser  a sum  equal  to  about  four  cents  a day,  and  on 
this  scanty  pittance  he  lived.  After  teaching  all  day  he 
spent  much  of  the  night  in  searching  the  Scripture.  His 
life  was  wholly  devoted  to  study  and  teaching.*  As  to  the 


* “ Lite  of  Origen,”  Antenicene  Library,  Vol.  II,  page  25. 


4i6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


date  of  the  founding  of  the  Christian  school  at  Alexandria, 
it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  it  may  have  been  first 
opened  by  Mark.  It  would  have  been  quite  natural  for  him 
to  gather  the  first  converts  together  to  instruct  them  more 
fully  in  the  way  of  truth.  If  the  school  was  not  started 
by  Mark,  it  must  have  been  opened  very  soon  after  his 
death.  It  was  in  a flourishing  condition  sixty  years  later 
when  presided  over  by  Pansenus. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  losses  the  world  of  letters 
has  sustained  was  the  destruction  of  the  great  Alexandrian 
library  by  the  semi-barbarous  Khaliff  Omar,  the  follower 
of  Mohammed.  The  library  contained  the  literature  of 
the  world  up  to  the  date  of  its  destruction.  In  it  were 
books  which,  if  we  could  have  them,  would  doubtless  set- 
tle many  of  the  vexed  questions  of  antiquity.  Doubtless 
it  contained  the  original  copies  of  the  Gospel  with  the 
names  of  the  writers  attached.  Could  these  copies  have 
been  saved  from  the  fire  their  value  to-day  could  not  be 
estimated.  But  when  the  city  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
victorious  Moslem  the  library  was  doomed  to  destruction. 
Amru,  the  Moslem  general  who  captured  the  city,  wrote 
to  Omar  asking  as  to  the  disposition  to  be  made  of  the 
books.  The  reply  was  fatal.  The  khaliff  wrote,  “ The 
contents  of  those  books  are  in  conformity  with  the  Koran, 
or  they  arc  not.  If  they  are,  the  Koran  is  sufficient  with- 
out them;Jf  they  are  not,  they  are  pernicious;  let  them  be 
destroyed.”  The  order  was  obeyed,  and  it  is  said  the 
books  were  distributed  as  fuel  among  the  five  thousand 
baths  of  the  city  and  then  they  were  so  numerous  that  it 
took  six  months  to  consume  them.*  Thus  the  records  of 
ages  were  destroyed  by  the  blind  fanaticism  of  the 
Moslem. 


* Irving,  “ I-ile  of  Mohammed,”  page  340. 


Wanderings  in  bIdi.ic  lands. 


4i7 


Alexandria  now  contains  a population  of  two  hundred 
thousand,  about  one-fourth  of  whom  are  Europeans. 
There  are  also  representatives  from  every  nation  dwelling 
on  the  banks  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  old  city  having 
been  destroyed,  the  new  is  built  after  the  European  model, 
and  were  it  not  for  the  mixed  character  of  its  population 
one  might  well  conclude  that  he  was  in  a city  of  Europe 
instead  of  Egypt. 

In  modern  times  the  city  has  suffered  much  from  war. 
In  1801,  during  the  siege  of  the  city  by  the  English,  they 
cut  through  the  narrow  bank  which  kept  the  water  of  the 
the  sea  from  overflowing  a large  basin  surrounding  the 
city.  As  a result  one  hundred  and  fifty  villages  were  de- 
stroyed and  a vast  tract  of  fertile  land  was  covered  by  the 
sea  water.  The  cutting  was  closed  again  and  every  effort 
made  to  repair  the  damage,  but  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand acres  of  fertile  land,  it  is  said,  are  still  covered  by  the 
water.  Such  is  the  heartless  destruction  of  war.  In  1884 
the  English  again  bombarded  the  City  of  Alexandria,  de- 
stroying a large  number  of  its  houses.  Traces  of  the  de- 
struction are  still  to  be  seen,  but  the  city  has  been  for  the 
most  part  rebuilt  and  at  this  time  is  in  a prosperous 
condition. 

Near  the  city  is  an  extensive  series  of  catacombs,  re- 
sembling in  some  respects  the  sleeping-places  of  the  dead 
at  Rome.  The  rock  was  literally  honeycombed  with  subter- 
ranean passages  and  tomb  chambers.  The  sides  of  the  un- 
derground passages  contain  niches  in  which  the  dead  were 
laid  away  to  rest.  As  in  Rome  so  also  here  the  tomb 
chambers  are  frescoed,  and  pictures  and  decorations  are  to 
be  seen.  One  of  the  former  represents  the  Savior  treading 
on  and  destroy  ing  serpents.  There  is  also  a representation 
of  the  ascension.  These  catacombs  date  from  the  time  of 


418 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Constantine  the  Great  and  were  doubtless  used  by  the  early 
Christians.  At  the  present  time  a stone  quarry  has  been 
opened  in  the  cemetery,  and  soon  all  traces  of  the  Alexan- 
drian catacombs  will  have  disappeared. 

Not  far  from  the  catacombs  stands  Pompey’s  Pillar,  a 
handsome  monument  composed  of  the  red  granite  of  Assu- 
an. Including  pedestal,  shaft  and  capital,  it  is  one  hundred 
and  four  feet  high.  The  shaft  is  sixty-seven  feet  high  and 
nine  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base.  It  tapers  slightly,  and  is 
eight  feet  at  the  top.  It  is  a beautiful  structure,  and  is  the 
only  ancient  monument  left  in  the  city. 

The  return  trip  to  Cairo  was  without  other  interest 
than  came  from  passing  over  the  delta  and  part  of  the 
Land  of  Goshen  again.  The  railway  between  the  two  cities 
was  the  first  built  in  the  East.  It  was  completed  in  1855. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


Farewell  to  Cairo. — The  Land  of  Goshen  Again.— A Dusty  Ride  across 
the  Desert. — Suez. — The  Red  Sea. — An  Excursion  to  the  Wells 
of  Moses. — Israel's  Song  of  Deliverance. — The  Waters  of  Ma- 
rah. — The  Murmuring  Host. — A Beautiful  Oasis  in  the  Desert. — 
The  Corals  of  the  Red  Sea. 


E left  the  City  of  Cairo  with  its  strange  sights  and 
interesting  people  on  the  last  day  of  January.  We 
had  spent  considerable  time  in  the  old  oriental  city, 
c cj  but  were  glad  when  the  time  came  to  continue  our 
journey  homeward.  Our  objective  point  was  Suez,  and 
we  were  accompanied  by  Mr.  Gould  and  his  lady,  Ameri- 
cans whom  we  met  at  Cairo  and  who  proved  to  be  very 
pleasant  and  agreeable  traveling  companions.  Our  pur- 
pose now  was  to  follow  the  Israelites,  as  nearly  as  it  was 
possible  for  us,  on  their  journey  front  the  land  of  bondage 
toward  the  promised  land  of  freedom,  and  especially  to 
visit  and  examine  the  place  where  Moses  led  the  sons  of 
Jacob  through  the  Red  Sea.  And  this  we  were  enabled  to 
do.  We  crossed  the  Red  Sea  and  journeyed  to  the  waters 
of  Marah,  the  scene  of  Israel’s  triumph  over  the  armies  of 
Pharaoh  and  of  their  murmuring  against  Moses  on  account 


of  the  bitter  water  of  the  desert. 

The  distance  from  Cairo  to  Suez  by  rail  is  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine  miles.  The  road  runs  to  Ismailia, 
ninety-nine  and  one-half  miles,  and  thence  to  Suez,  along 
the  great  canal,  a distance  of  forty-nine  and  one-half  miles. 
Soon  after  leaving  Cairo  we  passed  by  Tell-el-Yehudiyeh 

419 


420 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


( Hill  of  the  Jews),  where  Onias  the  high  priest  who  lived 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  Christ  erected  a temple 
to  which  reference  has  already  been  made.  Here  Brugsch 
discovered  the  ruins  of  the  temple  in  1871,  and  the  ceme- 
tery near  the  place  was  discovered  several  years  ago  by 
the  Egyptian  Exploration  Fund.  It  is  an  interesting 
locality,  but  we  hurry  on  our  way  to  the  Red  Sea. 

Just  before  reaching  the  Land  of  Goshen  the  road 
approaches  the  fresh  water  canal  which  was  constructed 
by  the  early  Pharaohs  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  water 
of  the  Nile  to  the  interior  for  drinking  and  irrigating  pur- 
poses. The  canal  existed  fourteen  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  but  fell  to  decay  and  was  not  used  until  the  con- 
struction of  the  Suez  Canal.  It  was  then  opened  again  to 
supply  the  twenty  thousand  workmen  who  labored  on  the 
great  water  way  with  fresh  water.  Before  it  was  completed 
sixteen  thousand  camels  were  constantly  employed  in 
carrying  water  for  the  army  of  laborers.  The  canal  is  now 
used  to  supply  Ismailia  and  Suez  with  fresh  water  from 
the  Nile,  to  irrigate  and  fertilize  the  fields  and  gardens  by 
the  way  and  to  furnish  the  railway  engines  with  water. 
At  the  surface  the  canal  is  fifty-four  feet  and  at  the  bot- 
tom twenty-six  feet  in  width,  and  it  has  an  average  depth 
of  seven  feet.  The  volume  of  water  passing  through  it  is 
regulated  by  a system  of  locks.  It  is  used  for  navigation 
to  some  extent  and  numerous  small  boats  now  convey  the 
products  of  Egyptian  soil  to  Ismailia  where  they  are  ex- 
changed for  imported  wares,  and  these  are  brought  back 
to  the  villages  which  line  the  banks  of  the  canal.  The 
boats  use  sails  when  the  wind  is  favorable,  but  as  this  is 
seldom  the  case  they  are  for  the  most  part  drawn  by  men. 
Long  ropes  are  attached  to  the  boats  and  two  or  three 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


421 


men  tug  wearily  along  the  banks,  slowly  drawing  the 
heavily-laden  boats  to  their  destination. 

At  Zagazig  we  enter  again  the  Land  of  Goshen,  the 
home  of  Joseph’s  brethren.  Here  several  of  the  fresh 
water  canals  intersect,  thus  affording  an  abundant  water 
supply,  rendering  the  country  round  about  famous  for  its 
productiveness.  As  the  train  crosses  the  “best  of  the 
land  of  Egypt”  we  are  again  and  again  impressed  with  the 
wonderful  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  beauty  of  the  green 
fields.  We  think  again  of  the  time  so  long  ago,  now 
brought  close  to  us,  when  the  sons  of  Jacob  dwelt  here  and 
were  happy  and  prosperous.  Upon  these  very  fields,  along 
this  very  canal,  they  watched  their  flocks  and  led  them 
into  the  green  pastures  and  by  the  side  of  still  waters. 
Here  their  little  ones,  happy  and  contented,  grew  up  as  the 
olive  branches.  Then  came  the  years  of  cruel  oppression, 
the  stirring  events  preceding  and  following  the  Exodus. 
While  we  are  thinking  of  these  things  the  train  dashes  out 
on  the  desert,  leaving  the  Land  of  Goshen  and  its  interest- 
ing associations  behind. 

The  contrast  between  the  desert  and  the  fertile  soil 
and  the  rich  country  we  have  just  passed  through  is  indeed 
a striking  one.  The  hot  sun  beats  down  on  the  white  sand 
and  the  glare  and  the  heat  are  terribly  oppressive.  The 
bed  of  the  railway  is  made  of  sand,  and  as  the  train  rushes 
on  it  is  enveloped  in  a cloud  of  hot,  stifling  dust  which 
fills  every  compartment  of  the  partially  open  cars.  We 
are  simply  enveloped  in  dust.  We  have  had  some  dusty 
car  riding  at  home,  but  a ride  across  the  desert  gives  one 
an  experience  in  this  line  that  can  be  had  nowhere  else. 

We  pass  by  the  salt  marsh  and  lake  where,  but  a few 
days  before,  we  had  the  rather  unpleasant  experience  re- 
corded in  a preceding  chapter.  We  see  the  place  we 


422 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


crossed  by  wading  through  the  mud  and  water,  and  we 
find,  too,  that  the  marsh  is  at  least  twenty  miles  long.  If 
we  had  made  the  attempt  to  ride  around  it,  as  we  once 
thought  of  doing,  instead  of  crossing  it,  as  we  did,  a night’s 
rest  on  the  sands  of  the  desert  without  shelter  would  have 
been  added  to  our  experiences. 

After  leaving  the  salt  marsh,  the  train  runs  through 
the  sandy  desert,  and  we  reach  Ismailia  literally  covered 
with  dust.  Here  the  blue  waters  of  Lake  Timsah,  through 
which  the  Suez  Canal  passes,  present  a striking  contrast  to 
the  desert  through  which  we  have  just  passed.  Several 
large  ships  are  passing  through  the  canal,  and  their  tall 
masts  and  smokestacks  towering  above  the  low  houses 
seem  strange  enough.  From  this  point  to  Suez  we  skirt 
the  fresh  water  canal,  traverse  the  desert  again,  pass  by 
the  Bitter  Lakes  where  Brugsch  locates  the  route  followed 
in  the  Exodus,  and  finally,  at  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon, 
we  reach  the  town  of  Suez,  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea. 
We  find  rather  pleasant  quarters  at  the  Hotel  Orient,  and 
here  we  remain  several  days  exploring  the  surrounding 
country. 

After  ridding  ourselves  of  the  dust  of  the  desert,  we 
walk  several  miles  to  the  seashore  and  enjoy  a view  of  the 
Sinaitic  Peninsula,  the  scene  of  Israel’s  wanderings  until 
they  reached  Sinai.  We  also  take  a general  survey  of 
Suez  and  its  surroundings.  The  town  has  a population  of 
about  twelve  thousand,  composed  of  many  nationalities. 
It  lies  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Suez,  one  of  the  northern 
extremities  of  the  Red  Sea.  It  is  a short  distance  south- 
west of  the  mouth  of  the  great  ship  canal  which  unites  the 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Red  Sea.  It  owes  its 
importance  to  the  traffic  on  this  important  water  way. 
Before  the  construction  of  the  canal,  Suez  was  an  unim- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


423 


portant  Arabian  village  of  not  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
inhabitants.  The  place  is  without  attractions,  and  no 
traveler  cares  to  stay  longer  than  is  necessary  to  visit  the 
points  of  interest  in  its  vicinity. 

Our  first  care  after  resting  and  looking  about  is  to 
secure  a competent  and  reliable  dragoman  and  interpreter 
for  our  proposed  journey  to  the  wells  or  springs  of  Moses. 
Very  much  depends  upon  this  important  personage.  After 
some  time  we  arrange  with  Mohammed  Mahmoud  to  take 
charge  of  the  expedition.  He  is  to  furnish  donkeys,  boats, 
attendants,  food  and  water,  and  all  that  is  needful  for  the 
journey.  We,  on  our  part,  agree  to  pay  him  a stated  sum 
of  money,  provided  he  fulfills  his  part  of  the  contract  in  a 
satisfactory  manner. 

At  an  early  hour  next  morning  we  were  up  and  ready 
to  start.  After  walking  a considerable  distance  we  reached 
the  water  side  where  we  found  a large  Arab  sailboat  with 
boatmen  and  five  donkeys  aboard,  all  ready  to  start  for 
the  other  side  of  the  Red  Sea.  It  was  a bright,  beautiful 
morning,  with  a light  breeze  blowing  strong  enough  to  fill 
our  sails.  After  coasting  along  the  shore  line  for  some 
distance  we  crossed  directly  over  the  narrow  strip  of  water 
and  ran  our  boat  aground  some  forty  feet  from  the  shore. 
Here  again  we  had  the  novel  experience  of  sitting  astride 
the  neck  and  shoulders  of  an  Arab  and  being  carried  in 
this  way  from  the  boat  to  the  shore.  We  all  landed  with- 
out mishap  save  Mr.  Gould.  He  was  perched  on  the 
shoulders  of  an  Arab,  and  when  only  a few  feet  from  the 
boat,  where  the  water  was  at  least  three  feet  deep,  his 
man  stumbled  and  fell,  and  our  friend  received  a complete 
ducking.  With  the  exception  of  this  unpleasant  incident 
all  landed  in  safety. 


424 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


And  now  wc  have  crossed  the  Red  Sea,  and  in  doing 
so  we  have  passed  from  Africa  into  Asia.  Looking  back 
over  the  sea,  we  are  reminded  of  the  profound  interest  con- 
nected with  this  spot.  As  Stephan  says:  “This  is  the 
scene  of  Pharaoh’s  attempted  passage,  and  these  waves 
once  bore  the  ships  of  King  Hiram  and  King  Solomon, 
which  every  three  years  brought  gold  from  Ophir,  and 
ivory,  ebony  and  incense  to  the  harbors  of  Elath  and 
Ezion-gcber.  Here,  too,  once  plied  the  light  Moorish 
vessels,  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  similar  to 
the  craft  now  used  by  the  Arab  boatmen,  and  to  the  one 
in  which  we  had  just  crossed  the  arm  of  the  sea.  The  Red 
Sea  was  also  navigated  by  the  merchantmen  of  the 
Ptolemies  and  the  Romans,  who,  by  this  route,  imported 
precious  stuffs  from  India,  and  spice  from  Arabia — the 
robes  and  pearls  which  decked  Cleopatra,  and  the  frankin- 
cense which  perfumed  the  palace  of  the  Caesars  on  the 
Palatine  Hill.”  The  waves  of  this  sea  wash  the  shores  of 
Sinai,  the  Mount  of  God,  from  which  the  law  was  given  to 
Moses. 

Here,  too,  on  these  very  shores,  stood  the  children  of 
Israel  and  saw  their  enemies  overwhelmed  in  the  sea. 
And  here  it  was  that  Miriam  took  a timbrel  in  her  hand 
and  sang  the  song  of  triumph,  which  Moore  has  immortal- 
ized in  verse: 

“ Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o’er  Egypt’s  dark  sea! 

Jehovah  has  triumphed, — his  people  are  free! 

Sing, — for  the  pride  of  the  tyrant  is  broken, 

His  chariots,  his  horsemen,  all  splendid  and  brave, — 

How  vain  was  their  boasting!  the  Lord  hath  but  spoken, 

And  chariots  and  horsemen  are  sunk  in  the  wave. 

Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o’er  Egypt’s  dark  sea! 

Jehovah  hath  triumphed,  his  people  are  free! 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


425 


“Praise  to  the  Conqueror,  praise  to  the  Lord! 

His  word  was  our  arrow,  his  breath  was  our  sword. 

Who  shall  return  to  tell  Egypt  the  story 
Of  those  she  sent  forth  in  the  hour  of  her  pride? 

For  the  Lord  hath  looked  out  from  his  pillar  of  glory, 

And  all  her  brave  counsels  are  dashed  in  the  tide. 

Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o’er  Egypt’s  dark  sea! 

Jehovah  has  triumphed, — his  people  are  free!’’ 

And  here,  too,  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  certainly 
not  very  far  from  the  spot  where  we  are  standing  to-day, 
“Israel  saw  the  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  sea  shore.”  And 
what  a sight  that  must  have  been  to  the  sons  of  Jacob! 
To  the  fleeing  slaves,  who  had  served  so  many  years  in 
cruel  bondage,  the  sea  opened  and  they  passed  through 
on  dry  ground,  “and  the  waters  were  a wall  unto  them  on 
their  right  hand  and  on  their  left.”  The  Egyptians,  in  hot 
pursuit,  sure  of  their  prey,  followed  in  great  haste.  But 
as  they  pressed  forward  confusion  seized  upon  them,  and 
then  suddenly  the  walls  of  water  were  loosed  and 
Pharaoh’s  host  was  struggling  and  drowning  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  What  a wonderful  deliverance  for  the  fugitives 
who  stood  on  this  very  shore  so  many  centuries  ago! 
How  they  must  have  rejoiced  as  they  saw  their  terrible 
enemies  overthrown,  and  realized  for  the  first  time  that 
they  were  free  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt!  No  wonder 
Moses  and  all  the  people  sang  unto  the  Lord  this  glad 
song  of  deliverance: 

“ I will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously: 

The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea. 

The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song, 

And  he  is  become  my  salvation: 

This  is  my  God,  and  I will  praise  him; 

My  father’s  God,  and  I will  exalt  him. 

The  Lord  is  a man  of  war: 

The  Lord  is  his  name. 

Pharaoh’s  chariots  and  his  host  hath  he  cast  into  the  sea: 


426 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


And  his  chosen  captains  are  sunk  in  the  Red  Sea. 

The  deeps  cover  them: 

They  went  down  into  the  depths  like  a stone. 

Thy  right  hand,  O Lord,  is  glorious  in  power, 

Thy  right  hand,  O Lord,  dasheth  in  pieces  the  enemy. 

And  in  the  greatness  of  thine  excellency  thou  overthrowest  them  that 
rise  up  against  thee: 

Thou  sendest  forth  thy  wrath,  it  consumeth  them  as  stubble. 

And  with  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils  the  waters  were  piled  up, 

The  floods  stood  upright  as  an  heap; 

The  deeps  were  congealed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea. 

The  enemy  said, 

I will  pursue,  I will  overtake,  I will  divide  the  spoil: 

My  lust  shall  be  satisfied  upon  them; 

I will  draw  my  sword,  my  hand  shall  destroy  them. 

Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  wind,  the  sea  covered  them: 

They  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O Lord,  among  the  gods? 

Who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness, 

Fearful  in  praises,  doing  wonders? 

Thou  stretchedst  out  thy  right  hand, 

The  earth  swallowed  them. 

Thou  in  thy  mercy  hast  led  the  people  which  thou  hast  redeemed- 
Thou  hast  guided  them  in  thy  strength  to  thy  holy  habitation. 

The  peoples  have  heard,  they  tremble: 

Pangs  have  taken  hold  on  the  inhabitants  of  Philistia. 

Then  were  the  dukes  of  Edom  amazed; 

The  mighty  men  of  Moab,  trembling  taketh  hold  upon  them: 

All  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  are  melted  away. 

Terror  and  dread  falleth  upon  them; 

By  the  greatness  of  thine  arm  they  are  as  still  as  a stone; 

Till  thy  people  pass  over,  O Lord, 

Till  the  people  pass  over  which  thou  hast  purchased. 

Thou  shalt  bring  them  in,  and  plant  them  in  the  mountain  of  thine 
inheritance. 

The  place,  O Lord,  which  thou  hast  made  for  thee  to  dwell  in, 

The  sanctuary,  O Lord,  which  thy  hands  have  established. 

The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 

For  the  horses  of  Pharaoh  went  in  with  his  chariots  and  with  his 
horsemen  into  the  sea,  and  the  Lord  brought  again  the  waters 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands.  427 

of  the  sea  upon  them;  but  the  children  of  Israel  walked  on  dry 

land  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.”* 

Mounting  our  donkeys  we  start,  with  Mohammed  as 
our  leader,  on  our  way  for  the  wells  of  Moses.  Our  route 
traverses  the  desert  with  the  Red  Sea  to  our  right,  while 
the  great  wilderness  of  the  wandering  stretches  out  to  our 
left.  Toward  the  west,  a distance  of  some  thirty  miles 
from  the  springs  of  Moses,  tower  the  Ata-Kah  Mountains, 
presenting  a beautiful  and  picturesque  appearance.  Next 
to  the  sea  the  wall  of  the  mountain  rises  almost  perpendicu- 
larly to  a considerable  height.  Here  the  retreat  of  the  Is- 
raelites may  have  been  cut  off,  leaving  their  only  means  of 
escape  through  the  Red  Sea. 

We  are  now,  beyond  all  doubt,  following  the  line  of 
march  taken  by  Moses  as  he  led  the  army  of  Israel  toward 
Mount  Sinai.  Every  step  reminds  us,  over  and  over 
again,  of  the  Bible,  and  we  can  understand  it  better  and 
better  as  we  follow  the  route  of  the  Exodus  and  find  that 
the  conditions  here,  even  after  the  lapse  of  more  than 
three  thousand  years,  agree  so  well  with  the  statements 
made  in  the  Book  of  books.  Continuing  our  journey  we 
see  in  the  distance  an  oasis  in  the  desert.  The  palm  trees 
forming  a beautiful  grove  arc  waving  their  branches  in  the 
air,  and  we  have  no  need  that  Mohammed  should  tell  us 
that  these  palms  grow  at  the  wells  of  Moses.  We  know 
that  this  is  the  only  oasis  in  all  the  desert  near  the  place 
where  God  opened  the  waters  of  the  sea  for  his  people  to 
pass  through.  After  our  tiresome  ride  across  the  desert, 
the  green  oasis  and  the  inviting  shade  of  the  palms  pre- 
sent a beautiful  sight,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  sand  of 
the  desert.  We  ride  up  to  the  largest  of  the  wells  and  are 
met  by  the  sheik  of  the  band  of  Beduin  Arabs  who  have 


*Ex.  1$:  1-19,  Revised  Version. 


428  WANDERINGS  IN  BlBLE  LANDS. 

their  home  here.  He  bids  us  welcome  and  we  dismount 
and  are  soon  resting  beneath  the  shade  of  the  trees.  We 
eat  our  noonday  lunch  in  a small  building  erected  for  that 
purpose,  for  the  use  of  which  the  sheik  expects  a generous 
backsheesh,  and  then  start  out  to  explore  the  place. 

Our  photogravure  gives  a beautiful  picture  of  the 
larger  of  the  wells  and  the  small  building  placed  at  our 
service  by  the  sheik. 

Leaving  my  companions  I find  a quiet  resting-place 
beneath  the  shade  of  the  palm  and  tamarisk,  and  with 
note-book  and  Bible  some  time  is  spent  in  quiet  medita- 
tion and  thought.  I read,  “ And  when  they  came  to 
Marah,  they  could  not  drink  of  the  waters  of  Marah,  for 
they  were  bitter:  therefore  the  name  of  it  was  called 
Marah.  And  the  people  murmured  against  Moses,  saying. 
What  shall  we  drink?”  Ex.  15:  23,  24.  Is  this  the  Marah 
of  the  Bible?  Is  this  the  scene  of  the  murmuring  of  the 
host  of  Israel?  Many  Bible  scholars  who  have  made  a 
careful  study  of  the  route  of  the  Exodus  think  it  is,  and  I 
am  quite  willing  to  accept  their  opinion  without  entering 
into  the  controversy.  And  so,  seated  near  the  larger  of 
the  wells,  I write  these  lines.  In  meditation  my  mind  goes 
back  to  the  time  when  Israel  encamped  round  about  these 
waters.  In  my  imagination  I see  the  plains  covered  with 
the  white  tents  of  the  sons  of  Jacob.  I hear  the  people 
lifting  up  their  voices  and  murmuring  against  the  man 
who  had  brought  them  out  of  bondage.  They  are  saying, 
“The  waters  of  the  Nile  are  sweet  in  the  green  meadows 
of  the  Land  of  Goshen.  There  in  Egypt  we  had  plenty 
and  to  spare.  Why  hast  thou  brought  us  hither  to  drink 
of  these  bitter  waters?  Oh  that  we  were  again  in  the 
green  fields  of  Goshen!  Oh  for  a draught  of  the  sweet 
waters  of  the  Nile!  ” How  soon  has  the  song  of  rejoicing 


The  Wells  of  Moses 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


431 


turned  into  the  bitterness  of  complaint.  Moses,  the  tried 
man  of  God,  hears  the  murmurs  of  the  people,  “ and  he 
cried  unto  the  Lord;  and  the  Lord  showed  him  a tree, 
which  when  he  had  cast  into  the  waters,  the  waters  were 
made  sweet.” 

I have  just  read,  here  at  the  waters  of  Marah,  the 
fifteenth  chapter  of  Exodus  with  wonderful  interest.  How 
real  it  all  seems  when  we  read  of  these  wonderful  occur- 
rences just  where  they  took  place.  It  is  a blessed  privilege 
to  be  permitted  to  wander  in  the  Lands  of  the  Bible  and  to 
visit  these  places  made  sacred  by  their  associations.  And 
here  I record  the  gratitude  of  my  heart  to  Almighty  God 
for  his  goodness  to  me  in  all  my  wanderings,  and  especially 
for  permitting  me  to  visit  this  place,  the  scene  of  Israel’s 
triumph  and  murmuring.  Surely  God  has  been  very  good 
to  me,  and  here  this  day,  at  the  wells  of  Moses,  beneath 
the  shade  of  the  trees,  I bow  in  gratitude  to  the  dear 
Father  above. 

There  are  at  least  a dozen  springs  or  fountains  at  this 
place.  Porter  counted  twelve,  while  Dean  Stanley  places 
the  number  at  seventeen.  The  water  in  some  of  them  is 
sweet  enough  for  drinking  purposes,  while  in  others  it  is 
brackish  and  bitter.  The  largest  of  the  fountains,  lying 
on  the  upper  side  of  the  oasis,  is  surrounded  by  a wall 
which  was  built  to  keep  the  drifting  sand  from  filling  it 
up.  The  basin  inside  the  wall  is  forty-six  feet  long,  thirty 
feet  wide  at  one  end,  and  twenty-seven  feet  at  the  other. 
The  water  forces  its  way  up  through  the  soft,  black  mud, 
bringing  with  it  numerous  gas  bubbles  which  burst  as  they 
reach  the  surface.  Thrusting  a cane  or  stick  into  the  mud 
and  drawing  it  out  again,  the  hole  thus  made  becomes  the 
source  of  a new  fountain.  From  the  larger  fountain  the 
water  flows  through  an  opening  in  the  wall,  forming  a 


432  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

beautiful  little  stream  some  two  feet  in  width  and  four 
inches  in  depth.  It  then  is  led  into  the  gardens,  five  in 
number,  which  it  irrigates  and  fertilizes.  Several  other 
fountains  which  do  not  have  outlets  also  supply  water, 
which  is  used  to  irrigate  the  oasis.  Around  the  fountains 
vegetation  grows  luxuriantly,  and  the  date  palm,  the 
tamarisk,  the  acacia  and  the  pomegranate  thrive  in  abun- 
dance. With  the  care  given  the  gardens  by  the  Arabs 
they  are  not  what  we  should  call  well  kept.  If  properly 
cultivated  and  cared  for  they  might  be  made  to  bloom  as 
a garden  of  roses  in  the  midst  of  this  perfectly  barren 
desert. 

About  one  thousand  paces  from  tl\e  largest  fountain 
stands  a solitary  palm  tree  at  the  foot  of  a little  hill,  on 
the  top  of  which  is  a fountain  four  feet  in  diameter  and 
nearly  two  feet  deep.  The  water  is  quite  bitter  and  sick- 
ening to  the  taste.  The  bottom  of  the  pool  is  covered 
with  black  mud,  and  the  water  which  runs  away  in  small 
streams  is  soon  swallowed  up  by  the  desert  sand.  It 
seemed  to  us  that  it  was  almost  a miracle  in  itself  that  not 
only  this  but  all  the  fountains  here  force  their  way  to  the 
top  of  the  ridge,  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  tract  which  is  spread  out  between  them  and  the  sea. 

From  the  elevation  which  we  occupy  we  have  a fine 
view  of  the  surrounding  country.  Only  a few  miles  away 
are  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea.  This  is  the  boundary  line 
between  two  continents — Asia  and  Africa — and  while  we 
are  on  Asiatic  soil  we  have  before  us  part  of  the  African 
Continent.  They  approach  each  other  like  giant  rivals. 
As  Schubert  says:  “Asia  and  Africa  seem  to  scowl  at  each 
other  across  the  Red  Sea  like  wrestlers  who  have  divested 
themselves  of  their  garments  and  are  on  the  point  of  enter- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


433 


ing  the  lists  to  fight  a fierce  battle  for  the  sovereignty  of 
the  world.  On  the  African  side  the  Ata-Kah  Mountains 
present  a bold  and  menacing  appearance,  while  the  dreary 
desert  of  Asia,  situated  among  the  Gebel  er-Raha,  bids 
defiance  to  its  loftier  adversary.”  At  our  feet  lies  the 
plain  where  Israel  encamped  by  the  waters  of  Marah,  and 
it  needs  but  a glance  to  show  us  that  it  meets  all  the  re- 
quirements named  in  the  Bible.  It  was  in  every  respect 
a delightful  camping  place,  with  the  single  exception  that 
the  waters  were  bitter  until  they  were  miraculously  healed 
by  Moses. 

But  the  day  is  far  spent  and  we  must  leave  the  oasis 
and  recross  the  stretch  of  desert  and  the  sea  that  lies  be- 
tween us  and  Suez.  Before  leaving  we  cut  some  branches 
from  the  palms  and  tamarisks.  The  latter  may  have  been 
the  kind  of  tree  cast  into  the  water  by  Moses  to  heal  its 
bitterness  and  make  it  sweet.  Not  forgetting  the  back- 
sheesh, for  which  many  hands  are  held  out,  we  ride  away 
from  Ayun  Musa  on  our  return  journey.  Reaching  our 
boat  we  are  carried  aboard  without  mishap.  The  donkeys 
are  driven  into  the  water  and,  swimming  to  the  boat,  are 
lifted  on  board,  and  we  set  sail  for  the  other  side. 

Before  landing  at  Suez  we  cross  over  the  sea  to  where 
the  red  coral  abound.  A stiff  breeze  is  blowing.  Our 
sails  are  hoisted  and  our  boat  cuts  through  the  water  very 
rapidly.  After  sailing  some  miles  we  see  the  corals  at  the 
bottom,  and  occasionally  a gleam  of  reflected  light  tinges 
the  waters  and  gives  them  the  color  of  blood.  May  it  not 
be  possible  that  the  sea  has  its  name  from  these  red  corals 
and  the  red  tinge  of  water  above  them,  and  not  from  the 
reddish  sand  on  the  seashore,  as  some  travelers  have  sup- 
posed? One  of  our  boatmen  divests  himself  of  his  clothing 
and  diving  down  head  first  brings  up  from  the  bottom 


434 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


handfuls  of  the  beautiful  red  coral,  some  of  which  we  take 
with  us  as  a memento  of  our  sail  on  the  Red  Sea.  We 
reach  our  hotel  late  in  the  evening,  very  tired  after  the 
fatiguing  day’s  work;  but  to  us  it  is  one  among  the  most 
interesting  days  spent  in  Egypt. 


CHAPTER 


V. 


The  Route  of  the  Exodus. — Crossing  the  Red  Sea. — Various  Opinions 
as  to  the  Place. — The  Sinaitic  Peninsula. — The  Beduins  and  their 
Customs. — The  Murmuring  Israelites. — The  Sinaitic  Mountains. — 
The  Mount  of  Moses. — The  Plain  of  Assemblage. — Ras  Sufsafch, 
the  Pulpit  of  the  Law. — The  Convent. — Tischendorf' s Great  Dis- 
covery.— A Happy  Theologian. 


URING  a short  stay  here  at  Suez  in  the  neighbor- 
' hood  of  the  very  spot  where  the  Israelites  crossed 
the  Red  Sea  and  where  Pharaoh’s  army  was  over- 
thrown, we  have  time  to  look  up  the  important  question  in 
regard  to  the  route  of  the  Exodus.  This  question  has  not 
been  definitely  settled,  and  has  given  rise  to  a great  deal 
of  controversy  among  Bible  scholars  and  travelers.  At 
what  particular  place  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea  did 
the  Israelites  march  in  between  the  walls  of  water  and 
thus  escape  from  their  pursuers?  is  the  question  asked, 
and  up  to  this  time  it  has  not  received  an  answer  to  satisfy 
all  minds.  And  there  is,  it  seems  to  us,  good  reason  for 
this  uncertainty.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  drifting  sands 
of  the  desert  have  covered  up  many  cities,  well  known  in 
the  days  of  Moses,  so  that  we  do  not  know  where  they 
stood,  room  is  left  for  conjecture  as  to  the  route  actually 
taken.  With  the  lapse  of  more  than  thirty  centuries  the 
physical  conditions  of  the  country  may  also  have  under- 
gone some  change.  Taking  these  things  into  considera- 
tion, it  is  not  strange  that  difference  of  opinion  obtains. 
Since  the  discovery  of  the  treasure  cities  of  Pithom  and 

435 


436 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Raamses,  we  have  one  part  of  the  question  definitely 
settled,  i.  e.,  the  place  from  which  the  Israelites  started  on 
their  long  march  which  was,  after  forty  years,  to  bring 
them  to  their  promised  possessions  in  the  Land  of  Canaan. 

The  Bible  is  very  explicit  as  to  the  various  camping 
places  of  the  Israelites  from  the  time  they  left  Raamses 
until  they  pitched  their  tents  by  the  Jordan.  These  camp- 
ing places  were  afterward  written  down  by  Moses  and  are 
now  a part  of  the  Bible.  Some  of  them,  as  has  already 
been  pointed  out,  have  been  discovered  and  fully  identified; 
others  have  entirely  disappeared.  The  list  given  by 
Moses  is  in  part  as  follows:  “And  Moses  wrote  their  go- 
ings out  according  to  their  journeys  by  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord:  and  these  are  their  journeys  according  to 
their  goings  out.  . . . And  the  children  of  Israel  re- 

moved from  Rameses,  and  pitched  in  Succoth.  And  they 
departed  from  Succoth,  and  pitched  in  Etham,  which  is 
in  the  edge  of  the  wilderness.  And  they  removed  from 
Etham,  and  turned  again  unto  Pi-hahiroth,  which  is  before 
Baal-zephon:  and  they  pitched  before  Migdol.  And  they 
departed  from  before  Pi-hahiroth,  and  passed  through  the 
midst  of  the  sea  into  the  wilderness,  and  went  three  days’ 
journey  in  the  wilderness  of  Etham,  and  pitched  in 
Marah.”*  We  were  enabled  in  our  wanderings  to  follow 
the  Israelites  as  far  as  the  supposed  waters  of  Marah;  if  not 
upon  their  line  of  march,  not  far  from  it. 

According  to  the  Bible  account  given  above,  the  first 
day’s  march  brought  them  to  Succoth,  a place  which  has 
been  clearly  identified  as  the  district  surrounding  Pithom. 
And  here  was  their  first  stopping  place.  Their  next  move- 
ment brought  them  to  Etham  “ in  the  edge  of  the  wil- 
derness.” The  course  they  were  how  taking  would  have 


*Num,  33:  2-8. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


437 


led  them  around  the  head  of  the  gulf  over  the  caravan 
route  to  Sinai  and  Canaan.  But  here  their  course  was 
suddenly  changed  and  they  turned  about  by  the  command 
of  the  Lord.  “ Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that 
they  turn  and  encamp  before  Pi-hahiroth,  between  Migdol 
and  the  sea,  over  against  Baal-zephon:  before  it  shall  ye 
encamp  by  the  sea.”*  It  was  this  retrograde  movement, 
directly  out  of  their  apparent  course  which  led  Pharaoh  to 
say,  “They  are  entangled  in  the  land,  the  wilderness  hath 
shut  them  in,”  and  induced  him  to  pursue  them  in  the 
hope  of  forcing  them  to  return  and  serve  him.  While  they 
were  encamped  here  by  the  sea,  resting  from  their  march, 
“the  children  of  Israel  lifted  up  their  eyes,  and,  behold, 
the  Egyptians  marched  after  them;  and  they  were  sore 
afraid.”  Then  came  in  swift  succession  the  miraculous 
passage  through  the  sea  and  the  overthrow  and  destruc- 
tion of  the  Egyptian  army. 

As  to  the  part  of  the  sea  where  the  passage,  took  place 
there  are  three  different  views  held  by  those  who  have 
given  the  subject  any  considerable  attention. 

i.  Th  is  view  locates  the  passage  several  miles  south 
of  Suez,  between  the  mountain  of  Ata-Kah  and  the  oppo- 
site shore  of  the  Red  Sea.  The  width  of  the  sea  at  this 
point  is,  according  to  Porter,  seven  miles.  Robinson’s 
measurement  makes  it  somewhat  wider,  but  these  differ- 
ences may  arise  from  the  different  stages  of  the  tide  when 
they  were  made.  This  view,  as  Schaff  says,  seems  to 
accord  best  with  the  literal  meaning  of  the  narrative,  that 
the  waters  were  divided  and  stood  up  like  a wall  or  like 
entrenchments  on  both  sides  of  the  passing  army.  But  it 
is  impossible  that  six  hundred  thousand  armed  men,  with 
women  and  children  and  their  herds  of  cattle,  could  have 


♦fix.  14:?, 


43§ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


crossed  such  a distance  in  one  night  without  a prodigious 
accumulation  of  miracles.  And  would  the  Egyptians  have 
dared  to  follow  the  Israelites  through  the  deep  sea,  in 
view  of  such  an  amazing  and  overpowering  interposition 
of  God?  Could  the  east  wind,  or  any  other  wind,  have 
such  an  effect  on  the  sea  so  wide  as  it  is  here?  And  if  not, 
why  is  it  mentioned  at  all? 

2.  The  second  theory,  which  has  been  adopted  by  a 
large  number  of  Bible  scholars,  locates  the  passage  nearer 
the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Suez,  some  distance  north  of  the 
town  of  that  name.  The  gulf  has  the  shape  of  a horn,  and 
is  a shallow  channel  less  than  a mile  wide  and  about  four 
miles  long,  running  from  the  north  to  the  south.  In  it  are 
several  small  islands  and  sand  banks,  bare  when  the  water 
is  low.  As  a reedy  marsh  it  may  have  extended  considera- 
bly farther  north,  perhaps  as  far  as  the  Bitter  Lakes. 

The  crossing  took  place. during  the  time  of  an  extraor- 
dinary ebb,  which  was  hastened  and  extended  by  a continu- 
ous night  storm  blowing  from  the  northeast  against  the 
water  and  laying  bare  the  whole  ford  for  the  passage  of  the 
Israelites;  after  which  the  sea,  in  its  reflux,  returned  with 
double  the  usual  power  of  the  flood  tide  and  overwhelmed 
Pharaoh’s  army.  In  ordinary  times  many  a caravan 
crossed  the  ford  at  the  head  of  the  gulf  at  low  ebb  before 
the  Suez  Canal  was  built.  Napoleon,  deceived  by  the  tidal 
wave,  attempted  to  cross  it  on  returning  from  Ayun  Musa 
in  1799  and  nearly  met  the  fate  of  Pharaoh.  But  an  army 
of  six  hundred  thousand  could,  of  course,  never  have 
crossed  it  without  a miracle.  The  question  is  only  whether 
the  miracle  was  immediate  or  mediate;  in  other  words, 
whether  God  suspended  the  laws  of  nature,  or  whether  he 
used  them  as  agencies  both  for  the  salvation  of  his  people 
and  for  the  overthrow  of  his  enemies,  The  express  men- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


439 


tion  of  the  strong  east  wind  which  Jehovah  caused  to  blow 
all  night  decidedly  favors  the  latter  view,  which  is  also  sup- 
ported by  an  examination  of  the  spot.  The  tide  at  Suez  is 
very  strong  and  rapid,  especially  under  the  action  of  the 
northeast  wind.  This  wind  prevails  there  and  acts  power- 
fully on  the  ebb  tide,  driving  out  the  waters  from  the  small 
arm  of  the  sea  which  runs  up  by  Suez,  while  the  more 
northern  part  of  the  arm  would  still  remain  covered  with 
water,  so  that  the  waters  on  both  sides  served  as  walls  of 
defense  or  intrenchments  to  the  passing  army  of  Israel.  In 
no  other  part  of  the  gulf  would  the  east  wind  have  the  ef- 
fect of  driving  out  the  water. 

Dr.  Robinson  calls  the  miracle  a miraculous  adaptation 
of  the  laws  of  nature  to  produce  a required  result.*  It  was 
wrought  by  natural  means  supernaturally  applied.f  The 
same  view  is  also  adopted  by  other  modern  scholars.  It 
does  not  diminish  the  miracle,  but  only  adapts  it  to  the  lo- 
cality and  natural  agency  which  is  expressly  mentioned  by 
the  Bible  narrative. 

This  theory  is  strongly  supported  by  Dr.  Robinson. 
He  says  that  the  strong  east  wind  was  a miraculous  agency 
in  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  used  in  connection  with  the  ebb 
of  the  tide  to  divide  the  waters.  It  will  be  observed,  by 
the  examination  of  a map,  that  the  northeast  wind  acting 
with  the  tide  would  have  the  effect  of  driving  out  the  wa- 
ters from  the  small  arm  of  the  sea  which  runs  up  by  Suez. 
Thus  the  waters  would  be  divided  and  be  a wall  or  defense 
to  the  Israelites  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left.  To  the 
objection  that  at  this  place  there  could  not  be  space  and 
depth  of  water  enough  to  cause  the  destruction  of  the 
Egyptians,  as  related  in  the  Bible,  it  is  urged  that  this  arrr) 


* Robinson’s  “ Researches,”  Vol.  I,  page  82. 
j^chjifT.  "Through  Bible  I,ands,”  page  1 58, 


440 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


of  the  sea  was  both  wider  and  deeper;  and  also  that  the 
sea  in  its  reflux  would  not  only  return  with  the  usual  power 
of  the  flood  tide,  but  with  a far  greater  force  and  depth,  in 
consequence  of  having  been  driven  over  by  the  wind.  It 
would  seem,  moreover,  to  be  implied  in  the  triumphal  song 
of  Moses  on  this  occasion  that  on  the  return  of  the  sea  the 
wind  was  also  changed,  and  acted  to  drive  the  flood  in 
upon  the  Egyptians.* 

3.  The  view  set  forth  by  Brugsch,  in  which  he  places 
the  Exodus  north  of  the  Red  Sea  by  the  usual  caravan 
route,  created  a great  deal  of  comment  when  it  was  first 
published;  but  recent  discoveries  show  that  his  conclusions 
arc  not  correct.  As  his  theory  seeks  to  do  away  with  the 
miracle,  and  hence  is  not  in  accord  with  the  Bible  state- 
ment, we  may  dismiss  it  without  further  comment. 

These  are  some  of  the  theories  held  in  regard  to  the 
place  where  the  crossing  of  the  Israelites  occurred  and 
where  the  army  of  Pharaoh  was  overwhelmed  and  de- 
stroyed in  the  sea.  The  Bible  account  is  plain,  and  if  the 
sites  of  the  cities  named  by  Moses  as  camping  places  can 
be  found,  all  controversy  as  to  the  place  of  crossing  will  be 
at  an  end.  Until  such  discoveries  are  made  we  may  not 
expect  perfect  agreement  among  Bible  scholars. 

It  seemed  to  us,  in  examining  the  scenes  of  the  Ex- 
odus with  the  Bible  as  our  guidebook,  that  some  of  the 
conditions  there  given  have  been  overlooked  by  Drs.  Rob- 
inson, Schaff  and  McGarvey.  Let  us  notice  what  the  Bible 
says  about  the  place  of  the  Exodus. 

1.  “ Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  turn 

and  'encamp  before  Pi-hahiroth,  between  Migdol  and  the 
sea,  over  against  Baal-zephon:  before  it  shall  ye  encamp.” 
Ex.  14:  2.  It  is  plain  from  this  that  the  Israelites  turned 


* Robinson’s  “ Researches,”  Vol.  I,  page  83,  * 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


441 


away  from  the  caravan  route  and  pitched  their  camp  by  the 
sea.  If  the  sites  of  Baal-zcphon  and  Migdol  were  known 
the  matter  would  be  settled;  but  as  yet  they  have  not  been 
discovered. 

2.  “ For  Pharaoh  will  say  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
They  are  entangled  in  the  land,  the  wilderness  hath  shut 
them  in.”  The  conditions  of  their  camping  place  before 
Baal-zephon  were  such  as  to  lead  Pharaoh  to  conclude  that 
they  were  hemmed  in  by  the  wilderness  and  sea,  “entan- 
gled in  the  land,”  and  he  was  encouraged  to  follow  them. 

3.  “ But  the  Egyptians  pursued  after  them,  .... 
and  overtook  them  encamping  by  the  sea,  ....  the 
children  of  Israel  lifted  up  their  eyes,  and,  behold,  the 
Egyptians  marched  after  them;  and  they  were  sore  afraid.” 
Ex.  14:  9,  10.  It  would  seem  that  the  Israelites  were  so  sit- 
uated, when  they  saw  the  Egyptians  in  close  pursuit,  that 
the  only  way  of  escape  was  to  go  through  the  sea,  and  such 
indeed  was  the  Lord’s  purpose  in  bringing  them  to  the 
seaside.  The  first  two  authors  named  do  not  refer  to  this 
condition. 

4.  “ And  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  sea; 
and  the  Lord  caused  the  sea  to  go  back  by  a strong  east 
wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry  land,  and  the  wa- 
ters were  divided.  And  the  children  of  Israel  went  into 
the  midst  of  the  sea  upon  the  dry  ground:  and  the  waters 
were  a wall  to  them  on  their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left.” 
Ex.  14:  21,  22.  It  will  be  seen  here  that  the  Lord  used  the 
strong  east  wind  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose, 
that  the  waters  were  divided,  and  that  on  either  side  of  the 
Israelites  they  stood  as  walls  of  defense.  The  only  way 
open  for  pursuit  was  to  follow  the  fugitives  through  the 
sea.  Dr,  McGarvey  omits  entirely  the  agency  of  the  east 


442 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


wind  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  Lord’s  purpose.  It  was 
used;  for  it  is  so  stated. 

5.  “And  the  waters  returned,  and  covered  the  chari- 
ots, and  the  horsemen,  and  all  the  host  of  Pharaoh  that 
came  into  the  sea  after  them;  there  remained  not  so  much 
as  one  of  them.”  Ex.  14:  28.  The  distance  across  the  sea 
where  it  was  divided  and  the  depth  of  the  water  must  have 
been  sufficient  to  allow  all  the  army  of  Pharaoh  to  be  with- 
in it  at  one  time;  and  when  the  waters  returned  they  were 
deep  enough  to  cover  the  chariots  and  horsemen,  so  that 
not  one  of  them  escaped.  It  will  be  seen  that  both  the 
first  and  second  theories  named  contain  nearly  all  the  Bi- 
ble requirements.  The  difference  between  them  is  one  of 
opinion  rather  than  fact.  We  can  very  easily  afford  to  wait 
until  further  discoveries  are  made  by  the  Egyptian  Explo- 
ration Society.  Of  one  thing  we  may  rest  assured,  when 
the  route  of  the  Exodus  is  fully  explored  it  will  be  found 
to  agree  exactly  with  the  Bible  account. 

An  author,  who  is  by  no  means  partial  to  the  Bible, 
writing  on  the  Exodus,  says  that  until  recently  the  Bible 
was  the  only  source  of  information  regarding  the  emigra- 
tion of  the  Jews  from  Egypt,  but  the  monuments  and  papy- 
rus scrolls  which  have  been  handed  down  to  us  by  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  and  deciphered  by  modern  ingenuity, 
now  convey  to  us  a distinct  idea  of  the  condition  of  Egypt 
at  the  time  of  the  Exodus,  which  we  may  compare  with 
contemporaneous  Biblical  accounts.  On  comparing  the 
Bible  narrative  with  the  monuments,  we  find  that  they  agree 
on  all  material  points.* 

After  the  miraculous  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea  and  their 
wonderful  deliverance  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  from  the 
host  of  Pharaoh,  the  children  of  Israel  found  themselves  on 

* g^edekcr,  " Lower  Egypt/'  page  4S1, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


443 


the  border  of  the  great  wilderness,  known  as  the  Sinaitic 
wilderness.  They  had  left  the  land  of  plenty,  and  were 
now  to  enter  upon  the  peculiar  hardships  of  a desert  life. 
It  was  our  intention  to  follow  them  in  their  wanderings  to 
Mount  Sinai,  but  we  failed  to  secure  a company,  and  the 
Elder  did  not  feel  like  taking  a camel  ride  that  would  have 
extended  over  twenty-five  days  on  the  desert.  We  satisfied 
ourselves  with  a journey  to  the  wells  of  Moses,  and  a sight 
of  the  mountains  of  Sinai  through  our  field  glass.  We, 
however,  give  a short  account  of  the  wilderness,  abridged 
from  the  works  of  Palmer,  Schaff  and  Baedeker. 

The  peninsula  is  formed  by  two  arms  of  the  Red  Sea 
extending  northeast  and  northwest  into  Arabia  Petrrea. 
That  in  the  west  is  known  as  the  Gulf  of  Suez,  while  the 
eastern  arm  is  called  the  Gulf  of  Akabah.  The  former  is 
one  hundred  and  ninety  miles  in  length,  and  the  latter  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  It  will  be  noticed  by  this  description 
that  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula  is  in  the  form  of  a triangle,  the 
base  line  of  which  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  and  the 
two  sides  as  given  above.  It  contains  eleven  thousand 
square  miles,  and  within  the  boundary  of  this  territory  oc- 
curred many  of  the  events,  recorded  in  the  Bible,  of  the 
forty  years’  wandering  of  the  children  of  Israel.  The 
Arabs  call  it  cl  Fill  (the  wandering). 

It  consists  of  broad,  undulating  plains,  narrow  valleys, 
dry  river  beds,  isolated  mountains,  and  precipitous  rocks  of 
limestone  and  granite,  with  fantastic  shapes  and  gorgeous 
colorings.  It  is  rich  in  mineral  wealth  of  iron,  copper  and 
turquoise,  so  that  the  Egyptians  called  it  the  “ Mafkat,” 
that  is,  Land  of  Copper  or  Turquoise.  The  mines  are  now 
neglected,  but  were  once  worked  on  a large  scale  by  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  especially  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sev- 
bet  cl  Khadim,  where  hieroglyphic  tablets  still  record  thq 


444 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


names  and  titles  of  kings.*  The  Bible  contains  the  follow- 
ing allusion  to  these  mines: 

“ Yes,  truly,  for  the  silver  there’s  a vein, 

A place  for  gold  which  they  refine. 

The  iron  from  the  dust  is  brought, 

And  copper  from  the  molten  ore. 

To  (nature’s)  darkness  man  is  setting  bounds; 

Unto  the  end  he  searcheth  everything — 

The  stones  of  darkness  and  the  shade  of  death. 

Breaks  from  the  settler’s  view  the  deep  ravine; 

And  there,  forgotten  of  the  foot-worn  path, 

They  lay  them  down,— from  men  they  roam  afar. 

Earth’s  surface  (they  explore)  whence  comes  forth  bread, 

Its  lowest  depths,  where  it  seemed  turned  to  fire 
Its  stones  the  place  of  sapphire  gems, 

Where  lie  the  globes  of  gold. 

A path  the  bird  of  prey  hath  never  known, 

Nor  on  it  glanced  the  vulture’s  piercing  sight, 

Where  the  wild  beast  hath  never  trod, 

Nor  the  roaring  jackal  ever  passed  it  by. 

Against  the  granite  sends  he  forth  his  hand; 

He  overturns  the  mountains  from  their  base. 

He  cutteth  channels  in  the  rocks; 

His  eye  beholdeth  every  precious  thing. 

From  weeping  bindeth  he  the  streams, 

The  deeply  hidden  brings  he  forth  to  light.”! 

The  general  appearance  of  the  wilderness  is  that  of  a 
barren,  desolate,  dreary  land.  Sand,  hard  gravel  and  rock 
cover  all  the  vast  plain  which  is  broken  here  and  there  by 
oases;  mountain  ranges  and  romantic  valleys  abound,  cov- 
ered to  some  extent  with  scrubby  shrubbery  on  which  the 
camels  of  the  traveler  feed.  The  tent  of  the  wandering 
Arab  is  sometimes  seen,  but  there  is  not  a habitable  house 
in  all  the  peninsula,  except  the  Greek  Convent  at  Mount 
Sinai.  It  is  a vast  desert,  and  as  we  rode  over  part  of  it  we 
did  not  wonder  that,  while  the  Israelites  were  wandering 


*“  Through  Bible  Lands,”  page  145. 

f Job  28;  j— 11.  Translation  by  Lewis  Lange's  Commentary,  page  116, 


U’ANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  445 

across  its  sands  in  the  burning  sun,  their  minds  went  back 
to  the  Land  of  Goshen  and  the  waters  of  the  Nile. 

Doubtless  when  the  Israelites  wandered  here  the  pen- 
insula contained  a considerable  population.  There  were 
large  colonies  of  Egyptian  miners,  and  no  doubt  a bet- 
ter supply  of  water,  but  still  not  enough  to  supply  the 
demand  of  the  wandering  sons  of  Jacob.  God  furnished 
them  both  food  and  water,  and  one  may  see  that  this  was 
absolutely  necessary,  for  the  great  host  could  never  have 
marched  across  this  great  desert  without  being  miraculous- 
ly led  and  supplied. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  some  four  thousand  wan- 
dering Arabs  ( Beduins)  on  the  peninsula.  They  manage  to 
obtain  a scanty  livelihood  on  the  oases  and  in  the  valleys. 
They  are  slight  in  figure  and  have  regular,  sharply-marked 
features.  The  boys  who  follow  the  camels  and  wait  upon 
travelers  are  particularly  graceful  and  engaging;  the  men 
are  employed  in  conveying  charcoal,  millstones  and  other 
wares  to  Egypt.  They  also  supply  travelers  (who  are 
chiefly  pilgrims  of  the  Greek  faith)  with  camels,  hunt  the 
wild  goat,  and  attend  to  their  flocks.  The  boys  and  girls, 
and  sometimes  the  men,  drive  the  goats  and  speckled 
sheep  to  the  meager  pasture  in  the  summer,  while  the 
women  remain  in  their  black  tents  to  look  after  the  young- 
er children  and  attend  to  home  duties.  Seeing  the  spec- 
kled sheep  reminds  one  of  the  artifice  resorted  to  by  Jacob 
to  increase  his  share  in  his  uncle’s  flock.* 

In  the  best  watered  parts  of  the  peninsula,  the  Beduins 
dwell  more  permanently  and  cultivate  plantations  of  the 
date  palm.  In  the  western  part  of  the  wilderness  the  Bed- 
uins are  good-natured,  honest,  and  generally  of  noble  bear- 
ing; they  are  quite  free  from  the  sordid  cupidity  of  the 


•‘Gen.  30:  37-43. 


446 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


lower  classes  in  Egypt,  and  the  cry  for  backsheesh  is  not 
often  heard  among  them.  They  do  not  practice  polygamy, 
and  their  families  are  generally  small.  The  young  Beduins 
have  opportunities  of  seeing  the  girls  of  their  tribes  un- 
veiled, while  tending  their  herds  on  the  mountains,  and  of 
forming  attachments  for  them.  Marriages  from  inclination 
are  therefore  frequent  here,  but  custom  requires  that  the 
bridegroom  should  purchase  the  bride  from  her  father,  the 
usual  price  being  several  camels  and  a certain  sum  of  mon- 
ey; but  the  bargain  is  seldom  concluded  without  protracted 
negotiations,  conducted  by  a third  party.  The  girl  is  not 
permitted  to  know  anything  of  these  negotiations  between 
the  father,  the  suitor,  and  the  matchmaker,  or  friend  of  the 
bridegroom;  and  if  she  should  happen  to  have  been  a wit- 
ness of  them,  decorum  requires  that  she  should  retire  into 
the  mountains,  though  only  for  a few  hours.  Some  tribes 
require  that  she  should  remain  among  the  mountains  for 
three  days  preceding  the  marriage;  but  among  others  she 
spends  them  in  a tent  erected  by  the  side  of  that  of  her 
father,  whence  she  is  removed  to  the  dwelling  of  her  future 
husband.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the  girl  flees  of  her 
own  accord  to  the  mountains,  and  seriously  resists  and 
throws  stones  at  an  unacceptable  suitor. 

Each  tribe  has  a sheik,  or  chief,  a title  of  honor  which 
is  sometimes  given  to  the  oldest  and  most  respected  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe.  The  dress  of  these  people  is  very  simple 
and  scanty.  They  wear  a tarbush  (fez)  or  a turban  on  the 
head,  and  a gray  gown  fastened  about  the  waist  with  a 
girdle.  In  cold  weather  they  wear  a heavy,  coarse  outer 
garment;  many  of  them  are  barefoot,  but  the  wealthier 
wear  sandals  made  of  camel’s  skin.  Their  usual  weapons 
consist  of  sabres  and  knives;  the  guns  they  use  for  hunting 
are  of  great  length  and  poorly  made.  They  are  not  very 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


447 


accurate  marksmen.  They  use  neither  horses  nor  lances, 
the  camel  being  their  beast  of  burden.  Each  tribe  has  its 
own  particular  district,  the  boundaries  of  which  are  dis- 
tinctly marked  at  doubtful  points.  They  hold  the  Moham- 
medan faith,  but  know  very  little  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
false  prophet.  They  are  seldom  seen  to  pray,  but  they  cel- 
ebrate festivals  in  honor  of  their  national  saints,  at  which 
victims  are  sacrificed.* 

Such  are  the  people  who  now  dwell  in  the  wilderness 
where  the  Israelites  wandered  so  many,  many  years. 

After  leaving  their  camping  place  at  the  wells  of 
Moses,  which  we  described  in  a preceding  letter,  Moses  led 
the  hosts  along  the  gravelly  plain  between  the  mountain 
and  the  sea  into  the  wilderness.  They  camped  at  Elim, 
where  were  twelve  wells  of  water  and  three  score  and  ten 
palm  trees.  Of  this  route  Palmer  says:  “ Erom  the  wells 
of  Moses  vre  traversed  an  unwearied  desert  plain  for  three 
days:  there  is  nothing  to  attract  attention  but  the  bleached 
camel-bones  that  mark  the  track A little  far- 

ther on  the  eye  is  again  refreshed  by  the  sight  of  green 
tamarisks  and  feathery  palms,  and  just  off  the  beaten  track 
is  a pleasant  stream  of  water.”  Other  travelers  did  not 
find  a running  stream.  Dr.  Robinson  found  water  by  dig- 
ging shallow  wells.  From  this  it  would  seem  that  at  times 
the  water  comes  to  the  surface  and  forms  a stream,  while  at 
others  it  sinks  into  the  land.  So  it  must  have  been  when 
the  Israelites  reached  Elim,  for  twelve  wells  had  to  be  dug 
to  reach  water.  There  are  a number  of  palm  trees  growing 
at  Elim.  Dr.  Ridgeway  counted  forty-seven. 

We  next  hear  of  the  wanderers  camping  by  the  sea,f 
but  the  next  move  recorded  in  Exodus  reads  as  follows: 


* Baedeker,  “ Lower  Egypt,”  pages  478,  479. 
t Num.  33:  10. 


448 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


“ And  they  took  their  journey  from  Elim,  and  all  the  con 
gregation  of  the  children  of  Israel  came  unto  the  wilder- 
ness of  Sin,  which  is  between  Elim  and  Sinai.”  Ex.  16:  I. 
It  was  here  in  this  wilderness  that  the  people  “ murmured 
against  Moses  and  Aaron.”  It  was  here  that  their  minds 
went  back  to  Egypt,  and  they  said,  “Would  to  God  we  had 
died  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  when 
we  sat  by  the  flesh  pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the 
full;  for  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this  wilderness,  to 
kill  this  whole  assembly  with  hunger.”  Ex.  1 6 : 3.  We  are 
sometimes  disposed  to  wonder  that  the  Israelites  were  so 
easily  discouraged.  Why  should  they  so  soon  forget  the 
wonders  wrought  in  Egypt  and  the  Red  Sea?  But  the  ac- 
count is  in  full  accord  with  human  nature.  It  would  have 
been  surprising  if  they  had  not  murmured.  Here  they 
were,  a great  host,  six  hundred  thousand  men  of  war  with 
their  wives  and  little  ones  in  this  great  wilderness,  a sandy 
desert  stretching  out  on  all  sides  of  them.  They  felt  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  their  little  ones  were  doubtless  crying  for 
bread,  and  starvation  was  apparently  staring  them  in  the 
face.  How  natural  it  was,  then,  for  them  to  think  of  the 
“flesh  pots  of  Egypt”  and  wish  themselves  back  again  in 
the  green  fields  of  Goshen!  In  the  presence  of  a great 
necessity  for  food  they  forgot  what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
them.  They  forgot,  too,  the  oppression  and  slavery, 
thought  only  of  the  best  part  of  their  living  in  Egypt,  and 
so  fell  to  murmuring.  And  how  similar  are  professing 
Christians  to-day?  How  often  do  we  forget  what  the  Lord 
has  done  for  us  and  murmur  and  complain  at  our  lot  in  life, 
and  that,  too,  without  as  much  cause  as  was  apparent  to 
the  Israelites!  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Lord  did  not  es- 
pecially rebuke  the  people  at  this  time  for  their  discontent 
and  murmurings.  Here  it  was,  while  traversing  this  plain, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


449 


that  he  gave  them  the  bread  of  heaven  to  eat  and  sent 
them  the  first  flight  of  quails. 

The  Israelites  now  marched  to  Rephidim,  where  the 
rock  was  smitten  and  a plentiful  supply  of  fresh,  pure  wa- 
ter gushed  out  to  supply  the  thirsty  host.  It  was  here,  too, 
that  Amalek  fought  against  Israel,  and  Aaron  and  Hur 
held  up  the  hands  of  their  leader  until  the  going  down  of 
the  sun,  and  Amalek  was  discomfited  and  his  people  fell 
before  Joshua,  the  youthful  commander  of  the  Israelites, 
who  was  afterward  to  become  their  leader  and  one  of  their 
greatest  generals.  Leaving  Rephidim,  they  came  to  Sinai, 
“and  there  Israel  camped  before  the  mount.”  They  had 
traversed  the  desert  and  were  at  the  end  of  the  first  ctage 
of  their  journey.  The  distance  traveled  was  a little  less 
than  three  hundred  miles.  At  the  present  time  it  takes 
twelve  days’  steady  camel  riding  to  cover  the  distance  be- 
tween Suez  and  Mount  Sinai.  The  Israelites  spent  two 
months  in  making  the  journey. 

On  the  peninsula,  upon  which  the  children  of  Israel 
wandered  so  many  weary  years,  there  are  three  groups  or 
ranges  of  mountains.  In  the  northwest  is  a group  of  which 
Mount  Serbal  is  the  highest  peak;  in  the  southeast  is  the 
group  about  the  peak  of  Urum  Schomer,  and  in  the  east  is 
a central  cluster  in  which  Mount  Catharine  towers  above 
all  the  rest.  In  this  group  is  Mount  Sinai,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  mountains,  not  only  in  the  whole  peninsula,  but 
in  the  world.  It  rises  to  a height  of  seven  thousand,  three 
hundred  and  three  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  is  high 
enough  to  present  an  imposing  appearance  from  the  plain 
below.  The  range  is  known  as  the  Sinaitic  Mountains,  tak- 
ing its  name  from  its  most  noted  peak. 

We  are  now  in  one  of  the  noted  and  interesting  locali- 
ties of  the  world.  It  was  from  “ the  throne  of  the  mount 


Jebel  Musa,  Mount  of  Moses. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


451 


of  God”  that  Jehovah  spoke  to  Moses  and  promulgated  the 
wisest  and  purest  code  of  laws  ever  given  to  man.  The 
Tea  Commandments  are  in  themselves  a miracle,  they  es- 
tablish the  divine  call  of  Moses  and  place  him  far  above  all 
ancient  and  modern  lawgivers.  The  law  proclaimed  amid 
the  clouds,  the  thunderings,  and  the  lightnings  of  Sinai  has 
found  its  way  into  the  codes  of  all  the  civilized  and  en- 
lightened nations  of  the  earth.  That  law,  given  more  than 
three  thousand  years  ago,  still  holds  an  important  place 
and  wields  a wonderful  influence  in  the  world  to-day.  No 
wonder  the  mountain  is  a noted  one,  and  that  it  has  been 
said  that  Mount  Sinai  looks  like  “ a huge  altar  ” of  incense. 
There  it  stands  in  solemn  silence  and  solitary  grandeur,  sur- 
rounded by  death  and  desolation,  and  reflects  the  terrible 
majesty  and  holiness  of  God.  In  ascending  Jebel  Musa* 
and  Ras  Sufsafeh.f  where  Moses  communed  with  the  Infi- 
nite Jehovah  as  no  other  mortal  ever  did,  I was  over- 
whelmed with  this  idea.  Such  a sight  of  terrific  grandeur 
and  awful  majesty  I never  saw  before,  nor  expect  to  see 
again  in  this  world. J 

It  was  also  here  that  God  spoke  to  Moses  from  the 
midst  of  the  burning  bush  and  made  known  to  him  his  pur- 
pose concerning  Israel,  and  that  he,  the  shepherd  and  the 
great  scholar,  had  been  selected  to  lead  the  people  out  of 
the  Egyptian  bondage.  And  from  this  place  the  future 
leader  and  lawgiver  set  out  on  his  great  mission,  which  was 
to  terminate  so  successfully.  It  was  here,  after  the  Israel- 
ites had  been  delivered  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  through 
his  servant  Moses,  that  the  people,  having  been  corrupted 
by  their  long  intercourse  with  an  idolatrous  nation,  lapsed 


* Mount  of  Moses, 
t A peak  adjoining  Mount  of  Moses. 
Through  Bible  Lands,”  page  172. 


452 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


into  the  same  sin.  And  how  natural  it  was  for  them  that 
in  their  idol  worship  they  should  select  the  Egyptian  god 
Apis,  and  have  Aaron  make  for  them  a golden  calf!  They 
had  seen  the  worship  of  the  calf  at  Memphis  and  Heliopo- 
lis, and  they  now  selected  it.  It  was  to  this  mountain  that 
the  prophet  Elijah  fled  from  the  threats  of  Jezebel  after  the 
slaughter  of  the  priests  on  Mount  Carmel,  and  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  after  the  giving  of  the  law  the  Old  Testament 
refers  but  once  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  that  one  time  is  in  con- 
nection with  the  prophet’s  flight. 

The  mountain  consists  of  two  peaks,  Jebel  Musa,  or 
“ Mount  of  Moses,”  and  Ras  Sufsafeh,  or  “ Peak  of  the 
Willow.”  Schaff  says,  “ The  former  is  the  traditional,  the 
latter,  as  I take  it,  is  the  real  spot  of  the  giving  of  the  law; 
but  both  together  must  be  included  in  the  ‘ Mount  of  God,’ 
and  scene  of  the  giving  of  the  law.”  “ And  it  came  to 
pass  on  the  third  day  in  the  morning,  that  there  were  thun- 
ders and  lightnings,  and  a thick  cloud  upon  the  mount,  and 
the  voice  of  the  trumpet  exceeding  loud;  so  that  all  the 
people  that  was  in  the  camp  trembled.  And  Moses 
brought  forth  the  people  out  of  the  camp  to  meet  with 
God;  and  they  stood  at  the  nether  part  of  the  mount.  And 
mount  Sinai  was  altogether  on  a smoke,  because  the  Lord 
descended  upon  it  in  fire:  and  the  smoke  thereof  ascended 
as  the  smoke  of  a furnace,  and  the  whole  mount  quaked 
greatly.”  Ex.  19:  16-18. 

Like  many  other  localities  mentioned  in  the  Bible, 
Mount  Sinai,  or  rather  the  place  from  which  the  law  was 
proclaimed,  has  been  the  subject  of  considerable  controver- 
sy. This  grew  out  of  the  fact  that  the  Justinian  monks, 
when  they  first  went  to  Sinai,  without  investigation  decided 
that  Jebel  Musa  was  the  place,  and  hence  gave  it  the  name 
of  the  Mount  of  Moses.  This  tradition  was  generally  ac- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


453 


cepted  until  travelers  began  to  examine  the  surroundings 
carefully,  and  it  was  found  that' this  peak  did  not  meet  the 
Scriptural  requirements,  but  that  in  its  sister  peak,  Ras 
Sufsafeh,  all  the  conditions  were  found.  The  Bible  condi- 
tions as  to  the  mountain  from  which  the  law  was  given  are 
as  follows: 

1.  There  must  have  been  a great  plain  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain  where  the  people  could  assemble  to  hear  the 
law,  from  which  they  could  see  the  cloud,  the  smoke  and 
the  lightnings.  Ex.  19:  16. 

2.  They  must  have  been  near  enough  so  that  they 
could  hear  the  voice  of  the  trumpet,  which  caused  all  the 
people  to  tremble  when  they  heard  it. 

3.  The  plain  must  have  come  up  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  for  the  Lord  commanded  Moses  to  “ set  bounds 
unto  the  people,”  so  that  they  should  not  go  “ up  into  the 
mount,  or  touch  the  border  of  it.” 

These  conditions  are  exactly  met  in  the  peak  of  Sinai 
known  as  Ras  Sufsafeh.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  is  the 
great  plain,  er-Rahah,  which  contains  two  million  square 
yards,  and  is  so  large  that  the  whole  camp  of  Israel  could 
find  room  upon  it.  Dean  Stanley,  Schaff,  Robinson  and 
others  clearly  identify  this  as  the  point  from  which  the  law 
was  given. 

Robinson  says:  “While  the  monks  were  engaged  in 
lighting  tapers  and  burning  incense,  we  determined  to  scale 
the  almost  inaccessible  peak  of  Sufsafeh  before  us,  in  order 
to  look  out  upon  the  plain,  and  judge  for  ourselves  as  to 
the  adaptedness  of  this  part  of  the  Mount,  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  Scriptural  history.  The  cliff  rises  some  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  basin;  and  the  distance  to  the  sum- 
mit is  more  than  half  a mile.  We  first  attempted  to  climb 
the  side  in  a direct  course,  but  found  the  rock  so  smooth 


454 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  precipitous  that  after  some  falls  and  more  exposures, 
we  were  obliged  to  give  it  up,  and  clamber  upwards  along 
a steep  ravine  by  a more  northern  and  circuitous  course. 

“The  extreme  difficulty  and  even  danger  of  the  ascent 
was  well  rewarded  by  the  prospect  that  now  opened  before 
us.  The  whole  plain  er-Rahah  lay  spread  out  beneath  our 
feet,  with  the  adjacent  wadys  and  mountains.  Our  convic- 
tion was  strengthened  that  here,  or  on  some  of  the  adjacent 
cliffs,  was  the  spot  where  the  Lord  ‘descended  in  fire,’  and 
proclaimed  the  law;  here  lay  the  plain  where  the  whole 
congregation  might  be  assembled;  here  was  the  mount  that 
might  be  approached  and  touched,  if  not  forbidden;  and 
here  the  mountain  brow,  where  alone  the  lightnings  and 
the  thick  cloud  could  be  seen,  and  the  thunders  of  the 
voice  of  the  trump  be  heard  when  the  Lord  ‘ came  down  in 
the  sight  of  all  the  people  on  mount  Sinai.’  We  gave  our- 
selves up  to  the  impressions  of  the  awful  scene,  and  read, 
with  a feeling  that  will  never  be  forgotten,  the  sublime  ac- 
count of  the  transaction,  and  the  commandments  there 
promulgated  in  the  original  words  as  recorded  by  the  great 
Hebrew  legislator.”  Ex.  19:  9-25;  20:  1-21.* 

Dean  Stanley  says  of  the  same  place,  “ I am  sure  if  the 
monks  of  Justinian  had  fixed  the  traditional  scene  on  the 
Ras  Sufsafeh,  no  one  would,  for  an  instant,  have  doubted 
that  this  could  be  the  only  spot.” 

Schaff,  in  referring  to  this  matter,  says,  “ I fully  satis- 
fied my  mind  that  Ras  Sufsafeh  is  the  platform  from  which 
the  law  was  proclaimed.  Here  all  the  conditions  required 
by  the  Scripture  narrative  are  combined.” 

“A  calculation  made  by  Captain  Palmer,  from  actual 
measurements  taken  on  the  spot,  proves  that  the  space  ex- 
tending from  the  base  of  the  mountain  to  the  watershed  or 


♦“Biblical  Researches,”  pages  137,  158, 


Er-Rahah  and  Ras  Sufsafeh,  the  Mount  from  which  the  Law  was  Given, 


456 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


crest  of  the  plain,  is  large  enough  to  have  accommodated 
the  entire  host  of  the  Israelites,  estimated  at  two  million 
souls,  with  an  allowance  of  about  one  square  yard  for  each 
individual.”*  Bartlett,  after  surveying  the  district  careful- 
ly, was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  this  was  the  great  pul- 
pit from  which  the  law  was  given,  and  did  not  hesitate  a 
single  moment  to  add  his  vote  “ to  that  of  Robinson,  Stan 
ley,  Palmer,  Holland,  and  the  whole  Ordinance  Survey.'” 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  there  is  a locality  at 
Mount  Sinai  that  meets  all  the  Scriptural  requirements,  and 
that  all  questions  as  to  the  place  are  settled  beyond  any 
reasonable  doubt. 

Dr.  Bartlett  gives  the  following  account  of  his  ap- 
proach and  visit  to  Mount  Sinai:  “ Meanwhile  we  were 
toiling  up  the  rough  and  rocky  pass  of  a huge  mountain 
gorge,  flanked  by  somber,  weather-beaten  cliffs  of  dark  red, 
occasionally  seamed  with  colors,  and  near  a thousand  feet 
high.  The  pass,  though  much  longer,  was  scarcely  more 
difficult  than  parts  of  that  the  day  before  from  Hebron  to 
Solaf.  Our  sheik  pressed  us  repeatedly  to  dismount,  ap- 
parently under  the  pretext  of  insecurity,  but  we  declined. 
We  wished  to  test  the  security  of  the  pass.  One  of  our 
camels  lay  down  twice  with  his  rider,  and  required  vigor- 
ous measures,  and  uttered  a deal  of  growling,  before  he 
would  get  up  and  go  on.  We  did  not  wonder  that  the 
loaded  portion  of  the  camels  was  sent  around  seven  hours 
farther.  The  encumbered  portion  of  the  Israelites  could 
hardly  have  climbed  this  pass,  although  their  leader  might. 
In  two  places  I observed  Sinaitic  inscriptions.  When  we 
halted  to  lunch,  at  the  top  of  the  steepest  part  of  the  pass, 
and  close  by  the  source  of  the  little  brook,  we  turned  over 


* Desert  of  the  Exodus,”  Vol.  I,  page  117. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  457 

a stone  and  found  a scorpion  of  goodly  size,  but  now  mo- 
tionless and  cold. 

“ From  this  place  the  ascent  was  much  more  gradual, 
though  constant,  till  in  another  half  hour  Jebel  Musa  (the 
Mount  of  Moses)  came  in  sight  at  some  distance  to  our 
left.  After  eighteen  minutes  more  of  ups  and  downs,  we 
reached  a stream  rushing  vigorously  down  into  Wady 
T'lah.  We  soon  crossed  one  source  of  it,  which  issued 
from  a palm  tree  on  our  left,  and  we  saw  another  source 
running  down  from  the  rocks  on  our  right.  We  still  con- 
tinued ascending  a wide,  smooth  slope,  till,  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  more,  we  stood  on  the  watershed  and  looked 
down  the  long,  broad  plain  of  er-Rahah  (the  Plain  of  As- 
sembly), upon  the  mountain  rising  sharply  at  the  other 
end, — the  ‘ mountain  that  could  be  touched.’  The  first 
thought  was,  What  an  admirable  place  for  a great  encamp- 
ment; and  in  this  respect  what  a contrast  to  any  place  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Serbal!  High  up,  on  a 
distant  peak  to  our  right,  could  be  seen  the  residence 
formerly  built  by  Abbas  Pasha;  before  us,  on  the  left  of  the 
Mount  of  Moses,  was  the  Convent  of  St.  Catharine;  and  on 
the  right  of  the  mountain,  the  gardens  of  the  former  con- 
vents of  St.  Mary,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  The  surface  of 
the  valley  was  smooth;  and,  with  the  exception  of  scanty 
desert  herbs,  now  entirely  bare,  although  at  a different  sea- 
son, Mr.  Holland  writes  ‘that  he  has  seen  it  a vast  green, 
with  blades  of  grass  springing  up  in  every  direction  over 
it.’ 

“ In  the  clear  desert  air  the  mountain  seemed  close  at 
hand;  but  it  took  half  an  hour  from  the  watershed  to  reach 
the  foot  of  Ras  Sufsafeh,  its  northern  peak,  and  ten  min- 
utes more  to  enter  Wady  ed  Deir  (the  ‘Valley  of  the  Con- 
vent’), where  we  passed  the  ‘Hill  of  Aaron’  on  the  left. 


458 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


We  observed  that  the  convent  gardens  were  badly  washed, 
and  a considerable  part  of  them  well-nigh  ruined  by  tor- 
rents that  had  descended  from  the  mountain,  prostrated  the 
walls,  and  swept  away  the  trees.  We  passed  a little  stream 
now  running  down  the  valley,  and  in  a few  minutes  drew  up 
at  the  convent  walls,  having  ascended  twenty-three  hun- 
dred feet  from  our  encampment.  Two  or  three  of  the 
monks  stood  on  a flat  roof  or  terrace  of  the  convent, 
watching  our  approach,  and  with  scarcely  a minute’s  delay 
we  entered  through  the  little  iron  gate  over  the  remnant  of 
a snowdrift,  wound  our  way  through  a series  of  narrow  pas- 
sages, into  a small,  open  court,  then  mounted  a rude, 
wooden  stairway  to  the  steward’s  room.  Here  we  were 
ceremoniously  received  and  refreshed  with  some  kind  of 
conserve  in  small  quantities,  araki  (which  we  did  not  care 
to  drink),  and  more  execrable  French  than  often  falls  to 
the  lot  of  man  to  hear.  As  our  tents  had  not  arrived,  we 
were  to  spend  the  night  here,  and  were  shown  to  very  com- 
fortable rooms  of  fair  size,  provided  with  divans  and  cush- 
ions around  the  sides,  a bed  in  one  corner,  a table,  and  a 
rude  washstand.  We  afterward  found  good  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  these  rooms  had  more  occupants  than  first  ap- 
peared to  the  eye. 

“ From  the  door  of  our  room,  which  opened  out  of  a 
long  gallery,  we  overlooked  the  irregular  pile  of  buildings 
which  forms  the  interior  part  of  the  convent,  among  which 
are  a church  and  a mosque  in  fraternal  proximity.  The 
Greek  church  dates  back  as  far  as  the  time  of  Justinian,  but 
claims  Helena  as  the  builder  of  one  tower.  The  mosque  is 
declared  to  have  been  a precautionary  device,  which  saved 
the  convent  at  a time  when  the  Saracens  made  a general 
destruction  of  such  establishments.  The  enclosing  walls  of 
the  convent,  forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  were  begun  by  Justin- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


459 


ian  when  the  empire  was  losing  its  hold  on  the  East,  and 
completed  by  Napoleon’s  general,  Kleber.  But  the  monas- 
tery was  founded  far  earlier  than  Justinian.  In  the  fourth 
century  the  region  of  Sinai  was  full  of  hermits;  Eusebius 
refers  to  them  early  in  the  third  century;  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  Egyptian  and  Syrian  persecutions  of  the  second 
century  compelled  them  to  find  here  a refuge.  The  place 
has  venerable  associations.”*' 

The  persecuted  Christians  fled  to  this  mountain  as 
Elijah  fled  from  the  threatenings  of  Jezebel,  and  carried 
with  them  many  of  their  sacred  books;  this  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  a number  of  exceedingly  interesting  manu- 
scripts have  been  found  in  the  convent.  But  none  of  these 
exceed  in  interest  the  copy  of  the  New  Testament  by 
Tischendorf.  It  is  a remarkable  coincidence  that  on  the 
same  mountain  where  the  law  was  given  to  Moses  was  pre- 
served the  most  perfect  manuscript  copy  of  the  Gospel 
now  known  to  exist. 

It  was  on  May  12,  1844,  that  Tischendorf  left  Cairo  for 
Mount  Sinai.  Crossing  the  desert  by  the  usual  route,  he 
reached  the  sacred  mountain  twelve  days  later,  and  was 
cordially  received  and  entertained  by  the  monks  of  the 
convent.  While  searching  in  the  library  he  discovered  in 
the  corner  of  the  room  a box  used  for  rubbish.  In  this  box 
he  noticed  some  parchment  leaves,  and  his  practiced  eye  at 
once  saw  that  the  writing  was  in  Old  Greek  capitals,  known 
as  uncials,  and  that  it  was  a part  of  the  Old  Testament  writ- 
ten at  a very  early  period.  It  proved  to  be  a part  of  the 
now  famous  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  the  oldest  now  known 
to  exist;  but  at  that  time  he  was  able  to  find  only  a few 
leaves  of  the  parchment.  Ten  years  later  he  made  another 
trip  to  Sinai,  but  failed  to  discover  the  coveted  treasure. 


* “From  Egypt  to  Palestine, “ pages  261-264. 


460 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Finally,  in  1859,  fifteen  years  after  his  first  trip,  Tischendorf 
succeeded  in  gaining  from  the  Russian  Government  finan- 
cial aid  and  moral  support,  which  enabled  him  to  visit 
Sinai  again.  He  reached  the  place  Jan.  31,  1859,  and  began 
his  search  for  the  missing  leaves;  but  he  searched  in  vain 
until  the  afternoon  of  Feb.  4,  when  the  steward  of  the  con- 
vent called  his  attention  to  a manuscript  which  he  had  laid 
away.  To  the  great  joy  of  the  German  scholar  it  proved  to 
be  the  missing  manuscript,  an  entire  copy  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, and  a part  of  the  Old.  His  long,  patient  search 
had  been  amply  rewarded.  The  discovery  has  made  his 
name  famous.  After  many  perplexities  and  difficulties  he 
was  enabled  to  make  a copy  of  the  manuscript,  and  finally 
succeeded  in  placing  the  original  in  the  library  at  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, Russia,  where  it  still  remains.  We  now  have  pho- 
tographic copies  of  the  original. 

This  valuable  manuscript  contains  twenty-six  books  of 
the  Old  Testament,  all  of  the  New,  and  the  Epistle  of 
Barnabas,  with  a part  of  the  Epistle  of  Hernias.  It  is  just- 
ly regarded  by  scholars  as  the  most  important  manuscript 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  now  known  to  exist.  Tischen- 
dorf rendered  great  service  to  Christianity  by  his  valuable 
discovery  and  his  persistent  efforts  to  secure  this  copy  of 
the  Scriptures.  His  name  will  be  associated  with  the  New 
Testament  until  the  end  shall  come. 

Dr.  Schaff  visited  Tischendorf  some  time  after  his  dis- 
covery and  says:  “ He  was  the  happiest  theologian  I ever 
knew.  He  never  got  over  the  intense  satisfaction  of  the 
discovery  which  would  immortalize  a man  of  far  less  learn- 
ing and  merit  than  Tischendorf.  His  indomitable  perse- 
verance in  the  search  and  subsequent  publication  of  the 
inanuscripts  in  these  forms  is  almost  without  parallel  in  the 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


461 


history  of  literature.  He  lived  long  enough*  to  utilize  this 
and  all  other  important  sources  of  the  text  in  the  critical 
apparatus  of  the  eighth  edition  of  his  large  Greek  Tes- 
tament.” 

* Tischendorf  died  in  1874. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Leaving  Suez. — Journeying  (o  the  Land  of  Canaan. — On  the  Canal 
Again. — Farewell  to  Egypt. — A Comforting  Prophecy. — Jaffa. — 
Dangerous  Landing. — Our  Old  Dragoman. — Suleiman  the  Boat- 
man.— A Sample  of  Turkish  Justice. — Improvements  at  Jaffa. — 
The  Landing-place. — The  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway. — Com- 
merce.— House  of  Simon  the  Tanner. — Praying  on  the  Housetop. 
Flat  Roofs. — Breaking  up  the  Roof. — Continued  Dropping  on  a 
Rainy  Day.  — The  Grass  on  the  Housetop  and  a Wasted  Life.  — 
Dorcas. — The  Tanneries.  — Wrecked  Ships. — The  Market-place. — 
The  Blind. 


'HE  time  for  leaving  Suez  came  none  too  soon  after 
we  had  completed  our  work  at  that  place,  and  we 
left  without  the  slightest  degree  of  reluctance. 
Aside  from  the  great  historical  associations  connected  with 
the  locality  the  place  is  without  interest  to  the  traveler. 
Turning  away  from  the  Red  Sea  we  set  our  faces  toward 
Palestine  and  the  City  of  Jerusalem.  Nine  years  ago  the 
writer  visited  and  spent  some  time  in  the  Holy  Land,  and 
now,  under  God’s  blessing,  we  are  to  return  again  to  the 
“Land  of  sacred  song  and  story.”  We  arc  again  to  go  up 
to  Jerusalem  and  walk  about  its  streets  and  around  its 
walls.  We  are  to  revisit  the  Garden  of  Gcthsemanc,  the 
Mount  of  Olives  and  the  Vale  of  Kidron.  But  let  us  not 
anticipate. 

By  railway  from  Suez  to  Ismailia,  with  a repetition  of 
the  unpleasant  experience  of  a ride  across  the  sands  of  the 
desert,  and  we  are  again  on  the  Egyptian  mail  steamer 
skimming  over  the  waters  of  the  Suez  Canal  for  Port  Said, 

462 


A View  on  the  Suez  Canal. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


465 


from  which  place  we  are  to  set  sail  for  Jaffa.  On  the 
canal  we  meet  and  pass  many  large  steamers,  either  going 
to  or  returning  from  India,  China,  or  Australia.  These 
show  the  importance  of  this  great  water  way  to  the  com- 
merce of  the  world.  Our  photogravure  presents  a scene 
that  may  be  witnessed  almost  any  day  on  the  canal.  At 
Port  Said  we  rest  a day  and  then  board  the  Austrian  Lloyd 
steamer  Achilles  and  are  soon  steaming  away  from  the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs  to  the  Land  of  Promise.  Looking 
back  from  the  deck  of  our  steamer  we  see  the  coast  line 
grow  dimmer  and  dimmer  as  the  shades  of  evening  come 
down  upon  us,  and  then  sink  away;  and  so  we  lose  sight  of 
Egypt  perhaps  forever,  and  bid  farewell  to  the 

“ Land  of  the  palm-tree  and  pyramid, 

Land  of  sweet  waters  from  a mystic  urn.” 

Turning  away  from  Egypt  and  her  hidden  mysteries  of 
the  past  we  ask,  What  of  her  future?  The  prophets  de- 
nounced her  and  we  have  seen  that  the  words  of  the  Lord 
have  been  literally  fulfilled.  She  has  become  desolate, 
without  a prince;  but  the  future  holds  the  promise  of  pros- 
perity for  her.  The  same  prophet  who  proclaimed  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord  against  her  also  told  of  a time  when 
the  Egyptians  should  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  would  be 
gracious  to  them  and  heal  them: 

“ In  that  day  there  shall  be  an  altar  to  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  land 
of  Egypt, 

And  a pillar  at  the  border  thereof  to  the  Lord. 

And  it  shall  be  for  a sign  and  for  a witness  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts  in 
the  land  of  Egypt: 

For  they  shall  cry  unto  the  Lord  because  of  the  oppressors, 

And  He  shall  send  them  a saviour,  and  a great  one,  and  He  shall  de- 
liver them. 

And  the  Lord  shall  be  known  to  Egypt,  and  the  -Egyptians  shall 
know  the  Lord  in  that  day; 


466  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

And  shall  do  sacrifice  and  oblation;  yea,  they  shall  vow  a vow  unto 
the  Lord,  and  perform  it. 

And  the  Lord  shall  smite  Egypt:  He  shall  smite  and  heal  it: 

And  they  shall  return  even  to  the  Lord, 

And  He  shall  be  entreated  of  them,  and  shall  heal  them. 

In  that  day  shall  there  be  a highway  out  of  Egypt  to  Assyria, 

And  the  Assyrian  shall  come  into  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptian  into  As- 
syria, 

And  the  Egyptians  shall  serve  with  the  Assyrians. 

In  that  day  shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and  with  Assyria, 

Even  a blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  land:  whom  the  Lord  of  hosts 
shall  bless,  saying, 

Blessed  be  Egypt  My  people, 

And  Assyria  the  work  of  My  hands,  and  Israel  Mine  inheritance.”* 

So  we  leave  Egypt,  not  without  hope  for  her  future. 

It  was  very  early  on  the  Lord’s  Day  morning,  even  be- 
fore the  dim  twilight  broke  upon  the  eastern  sky,  when  our 
ship  cast  anchor  at  Jaffa,  the  oldest  seaport  town  in  the 
world.  The  word  harbor  does  not  apply  to  this  open  road- 
stead. An  indentation  in  the  coast  line,  in  the  shape  of  a 
slightly-flattened  semicircle,  with  a ledge  of  rocks  a hun- 
dred yards  from  the  shore,  upon  which  many  a good  ship 
has  been  wrecked,  is  all  there  is  of  a harbor  at  Jaffa.  Be- 
yond the  ledge  of  rocks,  which  is  partly  covered  by  water, 
is  a sheltered  spot  accessible  to  small  boats  only.  In  the 
center  of  the  semicircle  rises  a steep  hill,  the  foot  of  which 
is  washed  by  the  waters  of  the  sea.  On  this  hill,  rising  cit- 
adel-like above  its  surroundings,  is  the  City  of  Jaffa.  The 
sea  wall  against  which  the  waters  dash  and  break  into  spray 
and  foam  forms  part  of  the  ancient  wall  of  the  city. 

The  sea  at  Joppa  is  rarely  calm,  and  the  large  steamers 
seldom  venture  nearer  than  a half  mile  to  the  ledge  of 
rocks  before  casting  anchor.  Very  often,  when  the  sea  is 
rough  and  the  waves  run  high,  the  ships  are  unable  to  land 
their  passengers  and  are  compelled  to  take  them  to  Haifa 


* Isaiah  19:  19-2,. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


467 


or  Beirut  if  going  north,  or  to  Port  Said  if  on  the  south- 
ward way,  much  to  the  inconvenience  of  those  who  want  to 
land.  We  had  a rough  passage  from  Port  Said,  and  having 
had  some  experience  in  landing  at  Jaffa  entertained  fears 
that  we  might  not  be  able  to  go  ashore;  and  our  fears  were 
not  lessened  by  the  rolling  and  pitching  of  the  Achilles. 
The  waves  were  running  high,  the  surf  was  breaking  on  the 
ledge  of  rocks,  and  it  really  looked  as  if  we  should  have 
great  difficulty  in  going  ashore.  We  scanned  the  shore  for 
some  time,  and  at  length  saw  several  small  rowboats  pull 
away  for  the  ship.  The  rowers  worked  hard  and  at  times, 
when  their  boats  went  down  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  men 
and  boats  were  entirely  lost  to  view.  In  a few  minutes  the 
boats  would  again  be  seen  on  the  crest  of  the  waves  and 
then  disappear  again.  At  length  the  boats  reached  the 
ship  and  the  men  climbed  aboard. 

Nine  years  ago  when  the  writer  and  wife  visited  Pales- 
tine we  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  for  our  interpreter 
and  dragoman  Mr.  Bernard  Heilpern,  and  he  proved  in  ev- 
ery way  an  efficient  leader.  Judge  of  our  surprise  when  we 
saw  among  those  who  came  aboard  the  Achilles  our  old 
dragoman.  Our  recognition  was  mutual,  and  we  warmly 
embraced  each  other  after  the  eastern  custom.  Mr.  Heil- 
pern, as  we  soon  learned,  had  been  promoted  and  now  has 
entire  charge  of  the  tourist  business  at  Jaffa.  He  well  de- 
serves his  promotion.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  years  which 
have  elapsed  since  we  rode  together  nearly  a month  over 
the  hills  and  valleys  of  Palestine  have  dealt  gently  with  our 
friend  and  quondam  dragoman.  He  is  as  full  of  energy  and 
work  as  ever,  and  has  introduced  some  system  in  landing 
passengers.  The  yelling  and  crowding  of  the  Arabs  has 
given  place  to  a more  orderly  method  of  going  ashore.  He 
said,  “The  sea  is  very  rough  this  morning,  but  I have  a 


468 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


strong  boat  and  sturdy  boatmen  and  I will  take  you  ashore 
in  safety.”  And  he  made  good  his  word.  But  it  all  looks 
dangerous  enough,  climbing  down  the  ladder  on  the  side  of 
the  ship,  then  waiting  until  the  little  boat  rises  on  the  crest 
of  a wave  and  then  jumping  in.  Finally  the  passengers, 
some  twenty  in  number,  are  all  on  board  and  our  boatmen 
pull  for  the  shore.  As  we  near  the  rocks  we  are  made  fully 
aware  of  the  dangers  of  the  situation;  but  our  boatmen  are 
strong-armed,  our  little  boat  shoots  through  the  surf  and 
we  reach  the  sheltered  water  and  are  soon  landed.  We 
thank  the  Lord  that  we  are  safely  landed  and  that  we  have 
the  privilege  of  revisiting  the  Holy  Land. 

And  here  we  refer  to  a sad  accident  which  occurred 
at  this  place  only  a few  months  ago.  It  illustrates  the  dan- 
gers of  the  landing  and  the  quality  of  justice  under  the  rule 
of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey.  The  chief  boatman  at  Joppa  was  a 
splendid  specimen  of  the  Arab  race.  He  was  a giant  in 
strength,  an  expert  swimmer,  and  had  the  courage  and 
bravery  born  of  his  dangerous  calling.  Several  years  ago 
three  ships  were  wrecked  at  Jaffa  and  a number  of  lives 
were  lost.  At  the  risk  of  his  life  Suleiman  swam  to  and 
from  the  wrecks  a number  of  times  and  each  time  saved  a 
human  life.  For  this  gallant  service  he  was  made  the  re- 
cipient of  valuable  decorations  and  presents  from  the  Rus- 
sian, French  and  English  governments.  The  attention  thus 
shown  him  aroused  the  jealousy  of  the  chief  of  the  police 
system  at  Jaffa.  Later  Suleiman,  by  risking  his  life,  was 
the  means  of  saving  a number  of  Americans  from  a ship- 
wrecked boat,  and  in  gratitude  a handsome  gold  watch  with 
a large  sum  of  money  was  given  to  him.  The  jealous  offi- 
cer had  the  hardihood  to  demand  that  the  watch  should  be 
turned  over  to  him,  but  the  brave  Arab  boatman  refused  to 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands.  469 

give  up  his  rightful  possessions.  The  officer  indulged  in 
threats,  and  at  last  his  opportunity  came. 

Several  months  before  we  landed  a ship  cast  anchor  at 
Jaffa.  The  sea  was  rough,  but  Suleiman  put  off  with  his 
boat  and  crew  to  bring  the  passengers  ashore.  There  were 
twenty-four  who  came  down  the  side  of  the  ship  and  seated 
themselves  in  the  ill-fated  boat.  Less  than  half  that  num- 
ber reached  the  shore  alive.  In  passing  the  ledge  of  rocks 
a great  wave  struck  the  boat  and  in  an  instant  it  was  over- 
turned and  the  passengers  were  struggling  in  the  water. 
Again  Suleiman  saved  a number  of  lives,  but  this  availed 
him  nothing.  He  was  ordered  to  be  arrested,  but  fled  be- 
fore the  officers  secured  him.  Then  they  laid  hold  on  his 
father,  bound  him  and  cast  him  into  prison.  Hearing  this, 
Suleiman  at  once  returned  and  gave  himself  up,  so  that  his 
aged  father  might  be  released.  Charges  were  brought 
against  him  for  running  his  boat  on  the  rocks.  He  was 
tried  and  condemned  to  many  (perhaps  twenty)  years’  im- 
prisonment. And  to-day  the  brave  Arab  boatman  is  in 
prison  and  the  jealous  officer  has  revenge.  Prominent  offi- 
cials of  the  English  government  are  making  efforts  to  se- 
cure his  release,  but  up  to  this  time  their  efforts  have  been 
entirely  fruitless.  We  were  informed  that  the  jealous  offi- 
cer now  wears  Suleiman’s  watch.  Such  is  the  character  of 
Mohammedan  justice  as  administered  in  Jaffa. 

After  landing  we  found  comfortable  quarters  at  the  Je- 
rusalem Hotel,  where  we  stopped  nine  years  ago.  The 
proprietor,  instead  of  numbering  his  rooms  in  the  usual 
way,  has  named  a dozen  of  them  after  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  The  Elder  and  the  writer  slept  within  the  borders 
of  Dan  during  our  stay  at  the  old  seaport  town  of  Palestine. 

Jaffa  is  one  among  the  oldest  cities  of  the  world.  It 
was  a flourishing  city  when  the  cedars  for  Solomon’s  Tern- 


47°  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

pie  were  landed  here  and  carried  over  to  Jerusa.em,  and 
when  Jonah  came  hither,  fleeing  from  the  voice  of  God.  It 
was  a flourishing  city  when  Peter  dwelt  with  one  Simon  the 
tanner  by  the  sea,  from  where  he  was  called  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  Gentiles;  and  it  is  still  a flourishing  city  to- 
day. Its  history  is  as  old  as  the  Bible  and  is  not  without 
interest.  An  unknown  poet  has  thus  written  of  the  ancient 
City  of  Jaffa: 

“Oldest  of  cities!  Sidon  of  the  north, 

And  Kirjath-arba  of  the  rocky  south, 

And  Egypt’s  Zoan,  cannot  equal  thee; 

Andromeda  and  Perseus,  if  the  lay 
Of  classic  fable  speak  the  truth,  were  here; 

Monarchs  of  Palestine,  and  kings  of  Tyre, 

And  the  brave  Maccabee,  have  all  been  here; 

And  Cestius  with  his  Roman  plunderers; 

And  Saladin,  and  Baldwin,  and  the  host 
Of  fierce  Crusaders  from  the  British  north, 

Once  shook  their  swords  above  thee,  and  thy  blood 
Flowed  down  like  water  to  thine  ancient  sea.” 

Like  Damascus  and  Jerusalem,  Jaffa  has  been  de- 
stroyed many  times,  and  as  many  times  it  has  been  rebuilt 
and  its  trade  and  commerce  regained.  The  ancient  cities 
of  Egypt  and  Mesopotamia  have  not  only  been  destroyed, 
but  many  of  them  have  been  completely  obliterated,  so 
that  their  sites  have  been  lost;  others  are  known  to  us  only 
by  their  massive  and  interesting  ruins.  In  Palestine,  how- 
ever, we  find  it  different.  These  ancient  cities  have  been 
destroyed  again  and  again,  and  again  and  again  they  have 
been  rebuilt,  and  remain  even  unto  this  day  with  name  and 
site  unchanged.  So  Jaffa  has  survived  the  ravages  of  time 
and  is  now  entering  upon  a period  of  prosperity  unknown 
to  the  cities  for  centuries. 

On  our  second  visit  to  the  Holy  Land  we  notice  partic- 
ularly the  changes  which  have  taken  place  and  the  im- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


4/"I 


provemcnts  that  have  been  made  since  we  were  here  be- 
fore. The  first  we  notice  is  at  the  landing-place.  Then 
passengers  were  either  carried  ashore  from  the  small  row- 
boats on  the  backs  of  the  stalwart  Arabs,  or,  if  the  tide 
were  favorable,  the  boats  were  brought  so  close  to  the 
shore  that  by  stepping  on  large,  flat  stones  they  were  ena- 
bled to  make  the  landing.  Now  a small  but  substantial 
stone  pier  has  been  constructed,  with  suitable  steps,  so  that 
passengers  may  land  from  the  small  boats  without  incon- 
venience. This  is  a decided  improvement,  but  one  loses 
the  novelty  of  a ride  on  the  back  of  an  Arab.  But  by  far 
the  greatest  improvement,  not  only  in  Jaffa  but  in  all  the 
land  of  Palestine,  is  the  completion  of  the  first  railway  in 
the  Holy  Land,  connecting  the  cities  of  Jaffa  and  Jeru- 
salem. 

We  anticipate  our  journey  up  to  Jerusalem  in  order  to 
give  an  account  of  the  inception  and  completion  cf  this 
railway  which,  without  doubt,  is  to  play  an  important  part 
in  the  future  history  of  Palestine.  In  writing  this  sketch 
we  wish  in  a special  manner  to  acknowledge  our  indebted- 
ness to  Dr.  Selah  Merrill,  United  States  Consul  at  Jerusa- 
lem, whom  we  met  here  nine  years  ago  and  now  have  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  again.  He  was  here  during  the  build- 
ing, completion,  and  opening  of  the  road  and  gave  us  many 
facts  relative  to  the  history  of  the  enterprise.  He  has  also 
written  an  exceedingly  interesting  account  of  the  Jaffa  and 
Jerusalem  Railway,  which  has  since  been  published  in 
Scribner s Magazine.  The  article  is  illustrated  with  engrav- 
ings made  from  photographs  taken  by  the  Doctor  himself. 

As  early  as  1850  the  project  of  building  a railroad  be- 
tween Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  was  seriously  discussed,  but  it 
was  not  until  1860-63  that  surveys  and  definite  plans  were 
made,  After  that  several  routes  were  surveyed  and  the 


4/2 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


question  was  more  or  less  agitated.  But  it  was  not  until 
1889  that  work  actually  began.  The  road  was  finally  com- 
pleted in  August,  1892.  The  first  through  train  from  Jaffa 
reached  the  station  at  Jerusalem  August  27,  at  10  o’clock  in 
the  forenoon.  The  road  was  formally  opened  to  the  public 
Sept.  27,  1892,  a day  that  will  long  be  remembered  at  Jeru- 
salem. 

The  surveys  for  the  road  followed  three  different  lines: 
The  southern  or  the  one  that  was  finally  adopted,  the  mid- 
dle or  the  one  following  very  closely  the  present  wagon 
road  between  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem,  and  the  northern  which, 
as  Dr.  Merrill  says,  was  the  line  of  the  old  Roman  road 
from  Jerusalem  to  Cesarea;  it  passed  close  by  Mizpeh,  the 
home  of  the  prophet  Samuel;  it  crossed  the  battle  field 
where  Joshua  routed  the  army  of  the  five  kings,  Josh.  10; 
it  went  down  the  mountain  by  the  pass  Beth-horon,  where, 
in  A.  D.  66,  the  Twelfth  Legion,  under  Cestius,  was  cut  to 
pieces  by  the  infuriated  Jews;  it  touched  Lydda  where 
“saints”  then  “dwelt,”*  a class  that  has  long  since  disap- 
peared from  the  country;  and  it  was  the  road  by  which  Paul 
went  as  a prisoner.  It  was  proposed  to  cross  the  plain  in 
an  easterly  direction  from  Jaffa,  climb  the  foothills  to  the 
pass  of  Beth-horon  and  thence  approach  Jerusalem.  This 
route  had  historic  interest  and  sentiment  in  its  favor,  and  it 
was  more  than  once  surveyed.  In  1874-75  French  engi- 
neers surveyed  and  marked  out  the  railway  line  along  this 
route,  and  the  scheme  seemed  so  certain  that  individuals 
began  to  think  of  investments  along  that  line,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  road  being  built. f But  the  southern  route  was 
after  all  accepted,  and  Dr.  Merrill  gives  this  fragment  of 
hitherto  unwritten  history  in  connection  with  the  railway 


* Acts  9:  32. 

fDr,  Merrill,  Scribner's  Magazine,  March,  1S93, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  473 

project  in  which  he  says  Americans  should  take  not  merely 
a curious  interest,  but  a bit  of  “honest  pride’’: 

“There  was  a man  here  named  Charles  Zimpel,  a Prus- 
sian by  birth  but  a naturalized  American  citizen,  who,  in 
i860  to  1863,  surveyed  the  different  routes  carefully,  and 
decided  to  lay  down  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  along 
what  has  been  mentioned  as  the  southern  route.  Mr.  Zim- 
pel was  a man  of  excellent  education,  and  of  very  versatile 
talents.  In  early  life  he  had  received  a thorough  military 
training.  He  was  regularly  graduated  as  a doctor  of  med- 
icine and  also  of  philosophy.  He  had  a special  liking  for 
pharmaceutical  studies,  took  a special  interest  in  railroad 
engineering,  and  had  withal  a passionate  love  for  the  Holy 
Land.  He  was  never  married,  he  traveled  extensively,  and 
the  year  1852  found  him  in  Palestine  examining  with  enthu- 
siasm its  many  places  of  interest.  In  1853  he  published  a 
book  entitled,  ‘Nate  Ocrtlichc  Topographische  Bclcuchtung  dcr 
heiligen  Weltstadt  Jerusalem.'  The  next  seven  years  he 
spent  in  the  United  States,  devoting  himself  exclusively  to 
the  work  of  surveying  and  constructing  railroads.  He 
came  thence  to  Jerusalem,  having  accumulated  considera- 
ble means,  and  surveyed  and  mapped  out  the  railroad  as 
has  been  described.  He  spent  a year  in  Constantinople 
trying  to  obtain  a ‘concession’  for  building  the  road,  but 
without  success.  He  returned  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the 
practice  of  medicine.  About  this  time  it  was  noticed  that 
he  had  become  somewhat  eccentric,  and  as  an  ‘experiment- 
ing pharmacist’  he  discovered  some  wonderful  remedies 
which  he  called  Sunlight  Pills,  and  Jerusalem  Life  Extract, 
in  which  he  himself  had  great  faith.  He  had  also  much  to 
say  about  the  ‘ hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand  ’ of  Sf, 
John’s  Revelation,  and  his  hope  of  being  worthy  to  be 
numbered  among  them,  Npt  long  after  he  went  fo  Italy, 


474 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  died  at  San  Remo.  Dr.  Zimpel  (simple  as  most  peo- 
ple thought  him  at  last)  was  at  rest  and  his  railroad 
scheme  was  practically  forgotten. 

“Thirty  years  after  this  Sunlight-pill  man  had  been  in 
a land  made  one  of  perpetual  sunshine  and  song  by  the 
presence  of  the  Master  whom  he  loved,  other  men  entered 
into  his  labors.  Within  thirty  months  past,  men  backed  by 
French  capitalists  have  come  to  Palestine  and,  rejecting 
the  northern  and  middle  routes,  have  actually  built  a rail- 
road following  minutely  Dr.  Zimpel’s  plan.  The  only  vari- 
ations are  at  two  points,  one  near  Jaffa  and  the  other  near 
Ramlch,  both  on  the  flat  land,  where  the  change  was  sim- 
ply a matter  of  convenience.  Dr.  Zimpel’s  survey  made 
the  road  eighty  kilometres  in  length,  while  the  road  as 
built  is  eighty-six  and  one-half  kilometres.  The  signifi- 
cance of  having  chosen  the  best  route  may  be  emphasized 
in  the  reader’s  mind  when  it  is  stated  that  two-thirds  of  this 
road  is  on  the  plain  and  one-third  in  the  mountains,  which 
must  be  climbed  in  order  to  reach  Jerusalem,  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

“What  has  been  said  is  but  a brief  and  imperfect  trib- 
ute to  the  memory  of  this  well-nigh  forgotten  man,  and  if 
full  justice  were  to  be  done  to  one  to  whom,  as  in  this  case, 
honor  is  so  justly  due,  stronger  and  much  more  fitting 
words  should  have  been  chosen.”* 

The  road  was  finally  built  by  a French  company  with 
French  capital,  and  it  is  to  the  French  that  Palestine  is  in- 
debted for  its  first  line  of  railroad.  The  difficulties  to  be 
overcome  were  many  and  great.  About  everything  used  in 
the  construction  and  equipment  of  the  road, — tics,  rails,  iron 
bridges,  spikes,  cars  and  engines, — had  to  be  shipped  to 
Jaffa  on  steamers  and  taken  ashore.  When  we  consider 


* Dr.  Selali  Merrill,  Scribner’s  Magazine,  March,  1893, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


475 


the  difficulty  of  landing  passengers  the  magnitude  of  this 
work  is  intensified.  Laborers  to  work  in  stone  and  in  the 
mountains  had  to  be  brought  from  Switzerland  and  Italy. 
It  was  found  that  while  the  native  Arabs  could  work  in  the 
loose  soil  and  sand  of  the  plain,  when  it  came  to  working 
in  stone,  tunneling  and  cutting  away  the  mountain,  and 
building  bridges,  they  were  entirely  worthless. 

It  is  a matter  of  interest  to  Americans  that  all  the  en- 
gines used  on  the  road  were  manufactured  by  the  Baldwin 
Locomotive  Works  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The  steam  whistle, 
as  it  awakened  the  echoes  on  the  plain  of  Sharon  or  rever- 
berated among  the  hills  of  Judea,  had  a home-like  sound. 

The  wages  paid  the  laborers  who  made  the  road-bed 
seem  quite  inadequate  to  us:  from  twenty  to  thirty  cents 
per  day  was  paid  for  work  on  the  plain,  while  the  more 
skilled  workmen  who  labored  in  the  mountains  received 
from  seventy  cents  to  one  dollar  per  day,  and  furnished 
their  own  food.  In  our  own  country  we  should  call  these 
starvation  wages;  but  we  have  not  yet  learned  the  lesson  of 
economy,  taught  by  want,  that  has  become  a part  of  the 
life  of  the  laborers  in  many  parts  of  Europe  and  the  East. 
Two  years  and  a half  it  required  to  build  the  fifty-three 
miles  of  railroad  between  the  seaport  and  the  capital  of 
Palestine.  The  cost  was  not  far  from  two  million  dollars, 
and  in  our  judgment  the  stockholders  will  not  grow  rich 
from  the  dividends.  Four  dollars  will  buy  a first-class 
round-trip  ticket  from  Jerusalem  to  Jaffa,  good  for  two 
days,  but  the  tourist  who  lands  at  the  seaport  must  pay 
four  dollars  for  a ticket  to  the  Holy  City.  During  the  en- 
tire summer,  say  from  May  until  November,  no  tourists 
land  at  Jaffa  and  the  road  will  have  no  use  for  its  engines 
and  cars, 


476 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  effect  of  this  line  of  railway,  in  many  respects  the 
most  important  in  the  world,  upon  the  future  of  Palestine, 
who  can  tell?  It  will  doubtless  revolutionize  the  entire 
country.  Already  the  English,  not  to  be  outdone  by  the 
French,  are  building  a road  from  Haifa,  a port  at  the  foot 
of  Mt.  Carmel,  across  the  country  to  Nazareth  and  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  with  Damascus  as  the  final  objective  point. 
This  may,  and  doubtless  will,  be  the  beginning  of  a new  era 
of  prosperity  for  the  Holy  Land,  and  in  it  all  there  may  be 
the  hand  of  God  who  rules  the  destinies  of  men  and  na- 
tions. The  ruler  of  Turkey,  who  so  long  refused  a conces- 
sion to  build  the  railway,  at  last  consented,  and  this  is  only 
another  evidence  that  the  semibarbarism  of  the  Moham- 
medan religion  must  in  the  end  give  way  to  Christian  civil- 
ization. The  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway  is  a great  object 
lesson  to  the  natives,  and  it  is  doubtless  the  beginning  of 
the  end  of  Moslem  rule  in  Syria.  England  and  France  are 
always  ready  to  look  after  the  interests  of  their  own  peo- 
ple, and  since  English  and  French  capital  is  building  rail- 
ways in  Palestine,  neither  of  these  nations  would  hesitate, 
in  case  of  war,  to  claim  a protectorate  over  the  country, 
just  as  England  has  done  with  Egypt.  Then,  too,  the  bur- 
den of  prophecy  rests  upon  Palestine;  in  God’s  own  good 
time  it  will  be  fulfilled,  and  the  desolation  of  Canaan  will 
be  turned  into  prosperity.  The  Lord  uses  nations  to  bring 
about  results,  and  he  may  use  France  and  England  now  as 
he  used  Darius  and  Alexander  the  Great  to  accomplish  his 
purposes  so  many  centuries  ago. 

Jaffa  has  not  only  improved  in  having  a railway  and  a 
new  pier  for  landing,  but  the  city  has  grown  in  population 
and  in  trade.  It  is  always  a difficult  matter  to  ascertain 
the  population  of  a Mohammedan  town  or  city,  but  there 
are  certainly  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  inhabitants  in 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


477 


Jaffa  now.  One  of  the  principal  products  of  the  place  and 
its  surroundings  is  oranges.  The  fine  orange  groves  about 
the  city  are  the  admiration  of  all  travelers,  and  the  fruit 
grown  here  is  probably  not  equaled  for  fine  flavor  and  juici- 
ness in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  We  walked  through 
the  orange  groves  and  gardens  and  among  the  men  gather- 
ing and  packing  the  luscious  fruit.  The  owner  of  one  of 
the  groves  gave  each  of  us  a half  dozen  of  the  largest  or- 
anges we  had  ever  seen.  Two  of  the  largest  measured,  the 
one  fourteen,  the  other  sixteen  inches  in  circumference. 

Jaffa  now  ships  oranges  to  every  port  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea  and  also  to  London  and  other  European  cities. 
The  result  is  that  a good  market  is  opened  up  for  the  fruit, 
better  prices  are  realized  and  the  orange  grower  prospers. 
The  total  annual  exportation  reaches  the  large  number  of 
sixty  million  oranges.  These  figures  will  give  some  idea  of 
the  immense  crop  that  is  grown.  Jaffa  also  exports  more 
than  half  a million  dollars  worth  of  native  soap.  Judging 
from  the  looks  of  the  natives,  they  sell  much  more  soap 
than  they  use.  With  its  oranges,  soap,  wheat,  barley,  olive 
oil  and  other  commodities,  its  commerce  amounts  to  some 
millions  of  dollars  annually.  The  railway  will  of  course 
tend  to  increase  this  already  increasing  trade,  and  Jaffa 
may  yet  become  a commercial  center  of  considerable  im- 
portance. The  town  is  Mohammedan,  but  its  prosperity  is 
not  due  to  the  Moslem  but  to  the  Christian  element  in  it. 

We  spent  our  time  here  in  looking  about  the  city  and 
walking  along  the  seashore  and  among  the  gardens  and 
groves.  Not  many  places  of  special  interest  are  to  be  seen. 
The  house  of  Simon  the  tanner  and  that  of  Dorcas  are 
pointed  out,  but  of  course  no  one  supposes  for  a moment 
that  the  modern  buildings  shown  to  travelers  are  the  hous- 
es that  stood  here  when  Peter  was  in  Jaffa,  Of  course  \ye 


478  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

went  to  the  house  of  Simon  the  tanner,  as  we  did  when  we 
were  here  before.  The  present  building,  without  doubt, 
stands  near  where  the  house  of  Simon  stood  and  may  for 
aught  we  know  occupy  the  same  ground.  It  is  by  the  sea- 
side,* and  not  far  away  are  the  tanneries,  where  doubtless 
Simon  worked  when  Peter  lodged  with  him.  A strong 
stone  stairway,  built  against  the  outer  wS.ll  of  the  house, 
leads  to  the  housetop  which  is  almost  flat.  It  was  doubt- 
less to  the  top  of  a house  like  this  that  Peter  came  up  “to 
pray  about  the  sixth  hour.”  As  we  climbed  up  the  stair- 
way and  reached  the  top  of  the  house,  judge  of  our  surprise 
when  we  saw  a man  kneeling  there  earnestly  engaged  in 
prayer.  How  singular  it  is  that  the  custom  of  going  on  the 
housetop  to  pray  should  have  been  kept  up  all  these  centu- 
ries, since  the  time  when  the  great  apostle  who  first 
preached  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles  was  in  the  habit  of 
coming  to  the  top  of  the  house  to  pray  just  as  we  see  this 
man  praying  here  to-day.  We  sat  down  and  read  from  our 
Bible  the  tenth  chapter  of  Acts,  and  it  all  seemed  so  real 
with  the  man  yonder  kneeling  in  prayer  that  we  almost  felt 
that  we  had  been  carried  back  to  the  time  when  the  tanner 
dwelt  here  and  had  a lodger,  “one  Simon,  whose  surname 
was  Peter.”f  How  real  scenes  like  this  make  the  story  of 
the  Bible,  and  how  near  they  bring  the  incidents  recorded 
in  the  Book  to  us  as  we  witness  them  to-day. 

On  the  top  of  the  house  and  growing  out  of  the  crev- 
ices in  the  wall  we  saw  a number  of  bunches  of  the  hyssopj 
of  the  Bible.  We  gathered  some  of  the  leaves  and  flowers 
of  the  plant  and  came  down  the  stone  stairway.  At  the 
foot  of  the  steps  is  a very  old  well  from  which  water  has 


*Acts  io:  6;  Acts  10:9. 
t Acts  10:  S. 

$ Heb.  9: 19. 


The  House  of  Simon  the  Tanner. 


/ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


481 

been  drawn  for  centuries.  The  attendant  drew  water  for  us, 
which  we  found  rather  pleasant  to  the  taste.  Our  photo- 
gravure shows  the  well,  and  a large  stone  water  tank  stand- 
ing near  by.  The  attendant  is  in  the  act  of  drawing  water 
with  his  rude  windlass.  Beyond  him  is  to  be  seen  the  step 
by  which  the  ascent  to  the  housetop  is  made.  Bunches  of 
hyssop  are  also  to  be  seen  growing  out  of  the  wall  above 
the  window.  The  picture  is  an  exact  reproduction  of  a 
part  of  the  house  of  Simon  the  tanner  at  Jaffa,  and  if  any 
of  our  readers  have  ever  been  there  they  will  recognize  it  at 
once. 

The  Bible  contains  many  references  to  houses  and 
housetops,  all  of  which  are  made  very  plain  and  clear  in 
the  light  thrown  upon  them  by  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  people  in  Palestine  to-day.  The  flat  roof  and  the  outer 
stairway  made  the  top  of  the  house  easy  of  access,  and 
then  it  was  a quiet  place  where  one  might  be  alone,  hence  a 
suitable  place  for  meditation  and  prayer.  The  houses  in 
the  towns  and  villages  are  low  and  the  roofs,  as  before 
stated,  are  flat.  Beams  are  laid  across  from  wall  to  wall 
and  on  top  of  these  is  thrown  a quantity  of  earth  which  is 
stamped  until  it  becomes  quite  solid  and  protects  the  in- 
mates from  ordinary  rain  storms. 

With  this  construction  of  the  house  and  roof  in  mind  it 
is  easy  to  understand  how  the  men  who  carried  the  one 
sick  with  the  palsy  proceeded  to  place  him  before  the  Sav- 
ior. “And  when  they  could  not  come  nigh  unto  him  for 
the  press,  they  uncovered  the  roof  where  he  was:  and  when 
they  had  broken  it  up,  they  let  down  the  bed  wherein  the 
sick  of  the  palsy  lay.”*  The  uncovering  of  the  roof,  the 
lifting  aside  of  the  beams,  the  carrying  the  sick  man  up  by 
the  outer  stairway,  the  kneeling  down  and  holding  to  the 


* Mark  2:  4. 


482 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


four  corners  of  the  bed  in  which  the  sick  lay,  letti  ng  it 
clown  before  the  Master,  are  all  clear  enough  as  we  exam- 
ine the  houses. 

The  roofs  made  Of  earth  become  water-soaked  during 
the  long,  continued  storms  of  the  rainy  seasons  and  then 
they  leak  in  a very  annoying  manner.  It  was  to  this  con- 
tinual dripping  of  the  water  through  the  roof  that  Solomon 
was  indebted  for  one  of  his  striking  proverbs:  “A  contin- 
ual dropping  in  a very  rainy  day  and  a contentious  woman 
are  alike.”*  Dr.  Thomson  relates  his  experience  in  one  of 
these  houses  during  a long,  continued  rain  storm  and  says: 
“This  continual  dropping — tuk — tuk — all  day  long  and  all 
night,  if  not  the  most  annoying  thing  in  the  world,  can  only 
be  exceeded  by  the  ceaseless  clatter  of  a contentious  wom- 
an.” We  presume  Solomon  and  the  Doctor  knew  whereof 
they  wrote,  the  former  doubtless  from  experience,  and  with 
our  knowledge  of  the  leaky  roofs  of  the  houses  in  Palestine 
we  can  see  the  force  of  the  proverb,  and  of  the  Doctor’s  ex- 
perience. 

On  the  top  of  the  earthen  roofs  just  at  the  close  of  the 
rainy  season  the  coarse  grass  springs  up  very  quickly  and 
as  quickly  disappears,  when  the  clouds  are  dispersed  and 
the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  strike  the  tender  shoots.  Because 
it  has  no  depth  of  soil  it  withers  away,  dries  up,  and  is 
blown  away  by  the  wind.  It  is  entirely  useless  and  worth- 
less. We  have  seen  the  grass  thus  growing  on  many  hous- 
es in  Palestine,  and  to  this  David  refers  when  he  says:  “Let 
them  be  as  the  grass  upon  the  housetops,  which  withereth 
afore  it  groweth  up:  wherewith  the  mower  filleth  not  his 
hand;  nor  he  that  bindeth  sheaves  his  bosom. ”f  What  a 
picture  of  a wasted  life  is  here  drawn  in  a few  words!  And 

* Prov.  27: 15. 

t Ps.  129:  6,  7. 


Wanderings  in  bible  lands. 


483 


the  illustration  is  intensified  when  we  sec  the  real  picture 
from  which  it  is  taken.  How  many  men  and  women  there 
are  who  waste  their  lives  and  are  like  the  grass  that  grows 
on  the  housetop!  They  start  with  fair  promise  of  the  fu- 
ture, but  the  hour  of  temptation  comes  and  they  fall,  and 
when  the  end  comes  only  a wasted,  useless  life  goes  out. 
No  hand  has  been  filled  with  kindly  deeds  by  them;  they 
have  filled  no  bosom  with  joy  because  of  a noble  life, — 
wrecked  and  wasted  is  written  over  against  their  lives. 
How  strong  and  how  wonderfully  apt  is  the  illustration 
drawn  by  the  Psalmist  from  the  grass  growing  on  the 
housetop.  The  prophet  Isaiah  also  used  the  same  illustra- 
tion, coupling  with  it  the  blasted  corn  amd  the  green  herb, 
when  he  came  to  comfort  Hezekiah  and  strengthen  him 
against  the  Assyrian.* 

Zephaniah  takes  up  a denunciation  against  those  who  go 
to  the  roofs  of  their  houses,  not  to  pray  to  the  living  God, 
but  to  engage  in  idolatrous  worship.  They  “that  worship 
the  host  of  heaven  upon  the  housetops, ”7  he  says,  shall  be 
cut  off  from  among  the  people.  The  language  clearly  im- 
plies that  there  were  some  among  the  Israelites  who  wor- 
shiped the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  and  that  they  assembled  on 
their  housetops  to  carry  on  their  devotion. 

Proclamations  were  also  very  frequently  made  from  the 
housetops  to  the  people  of  the  towns  and  villages.  It  was 
a convenient  place  to  reach,  and  overlooked  the  streets 
thus  forming  an  excellent  rostrum.  It  was  to  this  custom 
that  the  Master  referred  when  he  said,  “ That  which  ye 
have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets  shall  be  proclaimed  upon 
the  housetops. We  saw  and  heard  this  Scripture  illus- 

* Isa.  37:  27. 

t Zeph.  1:  5. 

t Luke  12:  3. 


484 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


trated  one  evening  while  wandering  alone  in  the  valleys  of 
Jehoshaphat  and  Hinnom  just  southeast  of  Jerusalem.  We 
passed  by  the  village  of  Siloam,  and  just  before  we  reached 
the  junction  of  the  valleys  a man  appeared  on  one  of  the 
housetops  in  the  village  and  began  speaking  in  a loud, 
clear  voice.  The  evening  was  hushed  and  still  and  the 
speaker  woke  the  echoes  along  the  valley  and  the  eastern 
wall  of  Jerusalem.  We  did  not  understand  a single  word 
he  said,  but  we  knew  that  he  was  proclaiming  from  the 
housetop,  and  we  saw  and  heard  just  what  the  Savior  re- 
ferred to  in  the  Scripture  quoted. 

The  house  pointed  out  as  that  of  Dorcas  has  neither 
tradition  nor  landmark  favoring  the  site,  and  it  is  so  mani- 
festly a modern  building  that  we  pass  it  by  without  other 
interest  than  that  it  recalls  vividly  to  mind  the  almsdeeds, 
the  death  and  the  miraculous  raising  from  the  dead  of  the 
Jaffa  “disciple  named  Tabitha,  which  by  interpretation  is 
called  Dorcas.”  Peter  at  that  time  was  at  Lydda,  distant 
but  twelve  miles  from  Jaffa.  He  had  just  raised  the  sick 
/Eneas,  “which  had  kept  his  bed  eight  years,  and  was  sick 
of  the  palsy.”*  To  him  they  sent  posthaste  with  the  tid- 
ings of  the  death  of  the  woman  whom  they  all  loved,  desir- 
ing that  he  would  not  delay  to  come  to  them.  Peter 
doubtless  left  Lydda  hurriedly,  and  if  he  did  not  know  the 
love  and  esteem  which  the  poor  of  Jaffa  had  for  Dorcas,  he 
soon  learned  of  it,  for  “when  he  was  come,  they  brought 
him  into  the  upper  chamber:  and  all  the  widows  stood  by 
him  weeping,  and  showing  the  coats  and  garments  which 
Dorcas  made,  while  she  was  with  them.”f  Then  came 
the  notable  miracle  of  raising  the  dead,  which  has  made 
Jaffa  famous  ever  since.  There  is  a naturalness  about  the 


* Acts  9:  33- 
t Acts  9:  39. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


485 


incident  and  the  account  given  by  the  author  of  the  Acts 
that  carries  conviction  with  it,  and  when  it  is  seen  in  its  ori- 
ental surroundings  it  becomes  all  the  more  real.  Dorcas, 
with  but  a needle  in  her  hand,  did  a work  among  the  poor 
that  will  be  told  over  and  over  again  as  long  as  the  Gospel 
is  preached,  and  her  good  example  has  induced  other  good 
women,  with  the  love  of  God  and  of  humanity  in  their 
hearts,  to  do  as  she  did,  until  we  have  hundreds  of  Dorcas 
societies  all  over  the  lands  where  Christianity  prevails. 

Leaving  the  so-called  house  of  Dorcas  and  going 
southward  from  the  place  where  Simon  the  tanner  dwelt, 
we  continue  our  wyalk  along  the  seashore.  Here  are  the 
tanneries  and  here  they  have  been  since  the  days  of  Peter. 
Without  doubt  he  walked  along  this  same  shore  in  compa- 
ny with  the  tanner  and  saw  the  restless  billows  break  and 
waste  their  strength  on  the  sand  beneath  his  feet,  as  we  see 
them  to-day.  If  he  had  a love  for  the  beautiful  he  no 
doubt  gathered  up  the  beautiful,  colored  shells  painted  by 
the  hand  of  the  Creator  and  admired  their  beauty  just  as 
the  Elder  and  the  writer  did  in  their  long  walk  on  the  sea- 
shore. But  we  must  curb  our  imagination  and  tell  of  what 
is  now  here. 

We  notice  that  the  tanners  use  the  sea  as  a great  soak- 
ing tank.  A long,  heavy  chain  is  securely  fastened  to  the 
shore  and  its  full  length  is  stretched  out  in  the  water.  To 
this  the  skins  are  lashed  and  here  they  remain  until  they 
are  ready  for  the  tanner’s  block.  They  are  then  taken  out 
and  treated  much  in  the  same  manner  as  in  tanneries  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  The  goat  skin  after  being  tanned 
is  dyed  either  red  or  yellow,  and  is  made  into  shoes.  The 
religion  of  the  wearer  is  made  known  by  the  color  of  his 
shoes.  The  Mohammedans  wear  yellow  and  the  Christians 
red  leather.  Reference  is  made  to  this  custom  of  dyeing 


486 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


skins  in  Exodus.  When  the  people  brought  together  a 
free-will  offering  for  the  tabernacle,  among  other  things 
they  brought  the  “red  skins  of  rams,  and  badger  skins.”* 

Both  to  the  north  and  south  of  Jaffa  as  we  walked 
along  the  seashore  we  saw  the  broken  hulls  and  ribs  of  a 
number  of  ships  that  had  been  wrecked  on  the  rocky  reefs 
on  the  coast  at  this  place.  These  wrecks  are  an  unpleasant 
reminder  of  the  dangerous  character  of  the  port  of  Jaffa. 
Many  a good,  staunch  ship  has  been  wrecked  and  pounded 
to  pieces  on  the  rocks  at  this  place  since  Jonah’s  ship  was 
overtaken  by  a storm  as  it  sailed  away  from  Jaffa  and  was 
finally  saved  only  by  throwing  the  runaway  prophet  over- 
board. Since  then  the  sea  along  this  coast  has  opened  its 
insatiable  mouth  and  swallowed  seafaring  men,  pilgrims 
and  travelers  by  the  thousand.  Just  now  there  is  some  talk 
of  a sea  wall  and  a pier  for  large  steamers,  and  since  the 
railroad  has  been  built  such  an  improvement  may  be  made. 
If  it  were,  hundreds  who  are  now  deterred  from  visiting 
southern  Palestine  because  of  the  dangerous  landing  would 
gladly  go. 

The  streets  of  Jaffa  present  a lively  appearance  on 
market  day  and  we  were  much  interested  in  wandering 
about  the  market  and  noting  what  was  going  on.  The 
market-place  of  any  city  is  a good  place  to  study  the  peo- 
ple, and  especially  is  this  true  of  eastern  cities.  Almost 
the  entire  population  is  to  be  seen  on  the  streets  and  at  the 
market-place.  Here  are  lemons  and  oranges,  pomegran- 
ates and  quinces,  apples  and  apricots,  and  all  kinds  of  fruit 
and  vegetables  in  their  season,  which  are  produced  in  the 
extensive  gardens  of  Jaffa.  The  villagers  bring  their  sheep 
and  goats,  their  lambs  and  kids,  their  cows  and  calves, 
their  milk  and  butter  and  cheese,  their  poultry  and  eggs, 


* Ex.  35:  23. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


487 


their  figs  and  olives,  and  every  other  kind  of  fruit,  fresh  or 
dry,  which  they  possess;  in  baskets  or  round  trays  or  small 
earthen  jugs,  in  jars  or  in  large  skin  bottles,  on  camels  or 
mules,  on  horses  or  donkeys,  on  the  heads  of  men  or  boys, 
women  or  girls,  are  they  brought  and  set  down  here  to  be 
sold.*  The  selling  is  carried  on  amid  much  quarreling  and 
bickering.  Looking  at  buyer  and  seller  you  are  persuaded 
by  their  angry  talk  and  violent  gesticulation  that  they  will 
at  once  come  to  blows;  but  this  rarely  occurs.  It  is  only 
their  way  of  buying  and  selling.  Many  of  those  who  come 
to  the  market  are  ragged  and  filthy,  and,  to  judge  by  their 
appearance,  must  be  wretchedly  poor.  Many  of  them  do 
not  have  sufficient  clothing  to  hide  their  nakedness. 
Around  about  the  market-place  and  in  the  streets  leading 
to  it  are  the  beggars.  Some  are  blind,  others  with  painful 
physicaldeffects — all  appealing  in  the  most  pitiful  and  be- 
seeching tones  for  alms.  These  are  the  beggars  by  the 
wayside,  and  they  are  to  be  seen  all  over  the  Land  of  Pal- 
estine. Here  one  is  reminded  over  and  over  again  of  the 
blind  son  of  Timmus  who  sat  by  the  wayside  near  Jericho 
begging  from  those  who  passed  by.  The  Savior  came  that 
way,  and  the  blind  man  when  he  “heard  that  it  was  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  he  began  to  cry  out,  and  say,  Jesus,  thou  son 
of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.”f  Then  came  the  call  of  the 
Master  to  the  blind  and  the  question,  “What  wilt  thou  that 
I should  do  unto  thee?  ” How  quick  came  the  reply  of 
him  who  was  afflicted,  and  as  quickly  the  Master  restored 
his  sight. 

Blindness  and  diseases  of  the  eye  are  very  common  in 
Palestine,  and  in  this  country  in  a single  day  one  will  see 
more  men  and  women  who  have  lost  the  sight  of  one  eye 


* “ The  Land  and  the  Book,”  page  25. 
f Mark  ro:  47. 


488 


WANDERINGS  IN'  BIBLE  LANDS. 


or  are  totally  blind  than  in  half  a lifetime  in  the  United 
States,  unless  it  were  in  some  institution  for  those  who 
have  lost  their  sight.  When  the  Savior  was  here  he  found 
the  blind  in  every  village  and  city  in  the  land.  They  sat 
by  the  wayside  begging  then  as  they  do  to-day,  and  as  he 
passed  by  he  healed  them.  What  wonder  then  that  the 
blind  called  to  him  when  they  knew  he  was  passing,  as  did 
the  blind  Bartimseus  at  Jericho,  and  how  the  poor  unfortu- 
nate fellows  must  have  crowded  upon  him,  even  leaving 
their  outer  garments  behind  so  that  they  might  go  unhin- 
dered to  the  one  Physician  who  could  restore  their  sight! 
And  as  they  went  away  seeing,  what  rejoicing  there  must 
have  been  amongst  them  all!  To-day  there  is  no  one  in 
Palestine  to  restore  sight  to  the  blind.  Thousands  lose 
their  sight  from  exposure  and  neglect  of  the  eyes.  An  oc- 
ulist could  here  find  a great  field  for  mitigating  human  suf- 
fering. Then,  too,  the  people  are  also  suffering  from  spir- 
itual blindness.  What  a field  for  the  earnest  missionary 
who  will  carry  to  the  people  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  open 
their  spiritual  eyes! 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


From  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem.  — “ Blest  Land  of  Judea." — Sentiment  De- 
stroyed.— Sharon's  Plain.  — Plowing.  — Lydda.  — The  Healing  of 
Aeneas.— Ramie h. — A rich  Land. — The  Home  of  Samson. — The 
Foxes. — Mountain  Scenery.— Terraced  Hills. — The  Shepherd  and 
his  Flock. — The  Valley  of  Roses. — The  Plain  of  Rephaim. — The 
Defeat  of  the  Philistines. — Jerusalem. — A Contrast. 


.^ROM  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  by  railway  robs  this  most 


interesting  journey  of  much  of  its  old-time  senti- 
ment and  brings  it  down  to  the  common  place  of 
every-day  life.  The  first  feeling  that  comes  to  us  as  we 
stand  on  the  platform  at  the  depot  at  Jaffa  and  hear  the 
bell  ring  and  the  voice  of  the  conductor  shouting,  “All 
aboard  for  Jerusalem,”  is  that  a great  sacrilege  has  been 
committed  in  the  very  act  of  building  a railroad  in  the  Ho- 
ly Land.  It  all  seems  out  of  place,  with  its  surroundings. 
One  likes  to  think  of  the  land  where  the  Master  was  born 
and  lived  as  she  was  before  these  modern  innovations  came 
to  her,  with  her  hallowed  associations  and  tender  memories 
unbroken  by  the  march  of  nineteenth  century  improve- 
ments. One  likes  to  give  way  to  thoughts  such  as  inspired 
our  own  Quaker  poet  when  he  wrote: 


“ Blest  land  of  Judea!  thrice  hallowed  in  song, 

Where  the  holiest  of  memories  pilgrim-like  throng; 
In  the  shade  of  thy  palms,  by  the  shores  of  thy  sea, 
On  the  hills  of  thy  beauty,  my  heart  is  with  thee. 


“ With  the  eye  of  a spirit  I look  on  that  shore, 

Where  pilgrim  and  prophet  have  lingered  before; 
With  the  glide  of  a spirit  I traverse  the  sod 

Made  bright  by  the  steps  of  the  angels  of  God. 
490 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


49 1 


“ Blue  sea  of  the  hills! — in  my  spirit  I hear 
Thy  waters,  Genessaret,  chime  on  my  ear; 

Where  the  Lowly  and  Just  with  the  people  sat  down, 

And  thy  spray  on  the  dust  of  his  sandals  was  thrown. 
****** 

“ I tread  where  the  twelve  in  their  wayfaring  trod; 

I stand  where  they  stood  with  the  chosen  of  God, 

Where  his  blessing  was  heard  and  his  lessons  were  taught; 
Where  the  blind  were  restored  and  the  healing  was  wrought. 

“O  here  with  his  flock  the  sad  wanderer  came, — 

These  hills  he  toiled  over  in  grief  are  the  same, — • 

The  founts  where  he  drank  by  the  wayside  still  flow, 

And  the  same  airs  are  blowing  that  breathed  on  his  brow! 

“ And  throned  on  her  hills  sits  Jerusalem  yet, 

But  the  dust  on  her  forehead,  and  chains  on  her  feet; 

For  the  crown  of  her  pride  to  the  mocker  hath  gone, 

And  the  holy  Shekinah  is  dark  where  it  shone.” 

It  is  in  this  mood  that  one  loves  to  linger  among  the 
holy  and  blessed  associations  of  the  Land  of  Canaan,  and 
live  again  in  imagination  and  in  spirit  in  the  days  long 
since  gone.  But  to  rush  across  the  beautiful  and  fertile 
plain  of  Sharon,  beautiful  yet  amid  all  its  desolation,  at  the 
rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour,  and  to  dash  up  the  picturesque 
valleys  among  the  quiet  and  peaceful  hills  of  Judea,  and  to 
hear  their  echoes  awakened  by  sound  of  steam  whistle  and 
rushing  train,  takes  one  with  a great  leap  from  the  first  to 
the  nineteenth  century  and  from  the  realm  of  sentiment  to 
that  of  this  practical  age  of  steam  and  electricity.  But,  as 
Dr.  Merrill  observes,  we  all  believe  that  Providence  is  wise- 
ly guiding  the  march  of  civilization,  and  hence  there  can  be 
nothing  unholy  in  the  fact  that  its  advance  guard,  the  rail- 
way, has  reached  Palestine  and  the  sound  of  the  steam 
whistle  reverberates  about  the  walls  of  ancient  Jerusalem. 

But  while  we  meditate  and  philosophize  the  bell  rings, 
the  whistle  sounds,  and  we  are  off  on  the  way  to  the  Holy 


492 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


City.  We  leave  the  gardens  of  Jaffa  far  behind  us,  cross 
the  sand  along  the  seashore  and  are  out  upon  the  plain  of 
Sharon.  Our  little  company  has  been  doubled.  At  Cairo 
we  met  and  enjoyed  the  company  of  Mr.  Geo.  Holmes, 
Traveling  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  London,  and  at  Jaffa  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing him  again.  Dr.  Simpson,  of  New  York,  President  of  the 
Evangelical  Missionary  Society,  on  a tour  of  missionary  in- 
spection, we  met  at  Port  Said.  Both  these  friends  are  with 
us  and  we  enjoy  the  association  very  much. 

The  day  is  bright  and  clear  and  warm  enough  to  be  de- 
lightfully pleasant.  The  plain  of  Sharon  presents  a busy 
picture  of  farm  life,  for  it  is  the  season  of  plowing  and  sow- 
ing. The  one-handled  plows  that  have  been  in  use  on  this 
plain  and  in  the  valleys  of  Palestine  since  the  days  of  Abra- 
ham are  still  in  use.  We  are  again  reminded  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Master,  “No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the 
plow,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God.”* 
This  apt  illustration  shows  that  the  one-handled  plow  of  to- 
day was  used  when  he  taught  the  great  lessons  of  the  Gos- 
pel here  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.  Nine  years  ago 
when  we  rode  across  the  plain  of  Sharon  we  saw  men  plow- 
ing and  sowing  as  we  see  them  to-day;  no  change  has  been 
made. 

The  rude  implement  used  for  plowing  is  in  many  cases 
made  after  the  pattern  used  by  the  fathers  centuries  ago. 
Occasionally  we  notice  a slight  attempt  at  improvement, 
but  for  the  most  part  the  farmers  on  the  plains  of  Sharon, 
like  the  fathers  of  the  shaduf  in  Egypt,  are  not  wiser  than 
their  fathers,  and  are  quite  content  to  use  the  same  kind  of 
agricultural  implements  used  by  them.  The  plows  that  we 
examined  were  very  simple  in  their  construction,  A 


* Luke  9: 62. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


493 


strong,  tough  piece  of  wood  about  three  and  a half  feet 
long  serves  as  a post,  to  one  end  of  which  is  fastened  the 
plowshare  and  to  the  other  the  handle.  Near  the  center  is 
mortised  a hole,  into  which  a long  pole  is  securely  fastened, 
which  may  be  called  a beam  or,  better  still,  a tongue.  It  is 
long  enough  to  reach  to  the  yoke  on  the  necks  of  the  oxen, 
to  which  it  is  fastened  by  a rope,  or  piece  of  rawhide.  One 
end  of  the  post  is  pointed  and  is  sometimes  armed  with  a 
piece  of  iron.  This  is  the  plowshare  to  which  reference  is 
made  in  Joel  3:  10.  The  upper  end  of  the  post  is  fitted 
with  a short,  round  crosspiece  of  wood,  which  serves  as  a 
handle. 

With  one  hand  the  farmer  grasps  the  handle  of  his 
plow;  in  the  other  he  carries  a strong  pole  about  eight  feet 
long,  armed  at  one  end  with  an'  iron  bit,  or  chisel,  used  for 
scraping  the  dirt  from  the  plow,  and,  at  the  other,  with  a 
sharp  spear;  and  this  is  the  ox-goad.  We  examined  one  of 
these  ox-goads  closely  and  could  well  believe  that  it  might 
become  a powerful  and  deadly  weapon  in  the  hands  of  a 
strong  man,  as  the  Philistines  found,  to  their  sorrow,  when 
Shamgar,  son  of  Anath,  slew  of  them  six  hundred  men  with 
only  such  a weapon  as  this.* 

At  one  place  we  induced  a plowman  to  let  us  try  his 
implement.  The  Arab  looked  on,  much  amused  at  our 
vain  efforts  to  handle  the  rude  implement  with  one  hand 
and  make  it  work.  It  was  a difficult  task,  and  we  soon 
gave  it  up,  quite  willing  to  admit  that  the  Arab  was  the 
better  plowman.  We  learned  that  if  he  who  puts  his  hand 
to  the  plow  would  accomplish  any  work  he  must  look  for- 
ward and  keep  his  eye  on  his  work.  The  lesson  taught  by 
the  Savior  is  apparent.  The  Christian  must  look  forward, 


* Judges  3:  31. 


494 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  not  backward,  if  he  is  to  become  fit  for  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

Twelve  miles  from  Jaffa  we  reach  Ludd,  the  first  stop- 
ping-place and  station  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem.  A grove 
of  tall  palm  trees,  their  feathery  branches  waving  in  the  air, 
give  the  place  the  appearance  of  an  Egyptian  town.  Fine 
old  olive  groves  also  add  much  to  the  attractions  of  the 
place.  These  groves  cover  some  twelve  square  miles  of  the 
plain  about  Ludd  and  Ramleh,  the  next  station,  only  two 
miles  away,  and  the  vigorous  growth  of  the  trees  shows 
that  the  plain  of  Sharon  has  lost  none  of  its  old-time 
fertility. 

Ludd  is  the  Lod*  of  the  Hebrews  and  the  Lydda  of 
the  New  Testament.  It  was  occupied  by  the  Benjamites 
after  the  captivity,  and  attained  to  some  importance  be- 
cause it  was  located  on  the  principal  caravan  route  between 
Egypt  and  Syria.  It  was  to  Lydda  that  Peter  came 
preaching  the  Gospel  and  visiting  all  the  saints;  and  “he 
found  a certain  man  /Eneas,  which  had  kept  his  bed  eight 
years,  and  was  sick  of  the  palsy.  And  Peter  said  unto  him, 
/Eneas,  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee  whole:  arise,  and  make 
thy  bed.  And  he  arose  immediately.  And  all  that  dwelt 
at  Lydda  and  Saron  saw  him,  and  turned  to  the  Lord.”f 
There  must  have  been  a wonderful  revival  in  those  days 
around  about  Lydda  on  the  plain  of  Sharon.  Everybody 
in  the  town  was  converted  and  turned  to  the  Lord,  and  the 
news  of  what  was  done  spread  into  the  country  and  the 
Sharonites  all  embraced  Christianity.  The  preaching  of 
the  Word  and  the  working  of  the  miracle  had  a powerful 
effect  on  the  minds  of  the  people. 


* i Chron.  8: 12;  Neh.  11:  3s. 
t Acts  9:  32-35. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


495 


During  the  reign  of  Nero  Lydda  was  destroyed  by  his 
general,  Cestius  Gallus,  but  it  was  rebuilt  again,  and  in 
A.  D.  445  a great  church  council  was  held  there,  at  which 
Pelagius  was  tried  for  heresy  and  ably  defended  himself. 
It  is  now  an  unimportant  village,  saving  that  it  is  a railway 
station,  and  this  may,  if  the  road  proves  a success,  bring  it 
into  more  prominence  again. 

Ramleh,  on  the  carriage  road  between  Jaffa  and  Jerusa- 
lem, is  the  next  station  on  the  railway  and  is  fourteen  miles 
from  the  former  place.  Here  nine  years  ago  we  saw  the 
lepers  for  the  first  time  and  here  they  are  yet.  Perhaps  not 
those  we  saw  then,  for  doubtless  they  perished  long  ago, 
but  others  have  taken  their  places.  The  coming  of  the 
train  into  the  stations  seems  to  be  a source  of  great  curios- 
ity to  the  natives.  They  collect  in  groups  and  watch  the 
coming  and  going  of  the  trains  with  open-eyed  wonder 
The  Arab  is  slow  and  uncertain.  He  will  invariably  put  off 
until  to-morrow  what  he  ought  to  do  to-day,  and  then  to- 
morrow he  will,  if  possible,  put  it  off  again.  One  source  of 
surprise  to  him  is  that  the  trains  should  come  and  go  on 
time.  When  the  road  was  first  opened  for  travel  and  the 
time  card  arranged,  the  Arab  who  wished  to  avail  himself 
of  its  advantages  invariably  came  too  late  for  the  train. 
He  could  not  understand  why  it  should  go  on  time  and 
that  he  should  be  left  behind.  He  and  his  fathers  have 
been  traveling  for  so  many  centuries  on  camels  and  don- 
keys and  on  foot  that  it  will  take  some  time  to  teach  him 
that  there  is  a vast  difference  between  railroading  and 
camel  riding. 

From  Ramleh  to  Es  Sejed,  where  the  engines  are  sup- 
plied with  water  from  a spring,  the  road  crosses  over  ten 
miles  of  rich,  level  land  which  reminds  us  of  our  own  west- 
ern prairies.  With  proper  tillage  and  care  it  would  pro- 


496 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


duce  abundant  harvests.  Indeed  the  entire  plain  of  Sharon 
has  the  appearance  of  our  rich  prairie  country.  Replace 
the  native  villages  with  farmhouses,  barns  and  well-kept 
farmyards;  the  one-handled  implements  used  for  scratch- 
ing the  soil  with  steel  clipper  riding  plows;  the  sower  and 
his  basket  of  grain  with  the  seeding  machine;  the  hand 
sickle  with  the  reaper  and  self-binder;  the  threshing  floor 
and  the  unmuzzled  oxen  treading  out  the  grain  with  the 
steam  thresher,  and  the  change  would  be  so  complete  that 
one  would  at  once  imagine  himself  on  the  western  prairies. 
The  railroad  is  already  here;  will  the  other  improvements 
come?  If  so  the  country  will  be  revolutionized.  As  it 
is  now  the  railway  seems  quite  out  of  place  with  its  sur- 
roundings. It  is  a bit  of  nineteenth  century  progress  set 
back  in  the  lap  of  the  first. 

We  are  now  passing  over  a country  of  great  historic  in- 
terest. Here  may  be  pointed  out  Gezer,  once  a royal  city  of 
the  ancient  Canaanites.  Yonder  are  the  great  hills  guard- 
ing Beth-horon,  the  scene  of  Joshua’s  memorable  battle. 
From  yonder  height  he  may  have  looked  down  upon  the 
valley  of  Ajalon  while  the  battle  raged.  It  was  here  that 
he  overcame  the  five  kings  and  slew  them.  The  pleadings 
of  the  king  of  Jerusalem  for  help,  sent  to  the  king  of  Egypt 
and  found  on  the  Tell  Amarna  Tablets,  availed  him  noth- 
ing, and  he  was  put  to  death  with  his  comrades. 

Another  stop  and  we  are  at  Deir  Aban  at  the  foot  of 
the  bold  and  rugged  mountains  of  Judea.  Of  this  place 
and  of  the  journey  to  Bittir,  the  next  station,  fourteen  miles 
distant,  Ur.  Merrill  says:  “We  are  in  the  country  of  Sam- 
son, and  probably  near  the  place  of  his  birth  and  burial; 
and  in  a land  where  there  are  twenty  foxes  to  one  jackal, 
and  where  hundreds  of  them  are  caught  every  year,  we  may 
be  allowed  to  suppose,  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  ‘learned 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


497 


commentators,’  that  the  former,  and  not  the  latter,  were  the 
instruments  of  his  vengeance  upon  the  Philistines.  We 
now  pass  through  wild  and  romantic  scenery,  of  which  even 
Switzerland  might  be  proud.  The  gorges,  the  cliffs,  the 
peaks  rising  skyward,  the  masses  of  broken  rock,  the  deep 
cuttings  for  the  road-bed,  the  bridges,  the  few  clusters  of 
olive  trees  deep  in  the  valley  or  clinging  to  a little  earth  far 
up  on  the  mountain  side,  make  a picture  in  which  there  is 
an  endless  charm.  In  the  Alps  there  is  in  winter  an  abun- 
dance of  ice  which  helps  to  disintegrate  the  rocks,  and 
which  forms  streamlets  of  beauty;  in  the  waterless  Judean 
hills  the  rocks  look  old  and  time-worn,  barren  and  dry.  In 
the  Alps  the  patches  of  earth  in  valley  or  on  mountain  side 
are  made  fruitful  and  attractive  by  untiring  and  skillful  in- 
dustry; in  the  Judean  hills  neglect  is  everywhere  apparent 
and  the  result  is  desolation.  Were  the  same  kind  of  skill 
and  persistent  energy  spent  here  every  year  that  is  spent  in 
the  Alps,  this  aspect  of  desolation  would  in  a large  measure 
be  removed.  At  the  same  time,  unassisted  nature  does  all 
in  her  power  to  remedy  these  defects,  and  those  travelers 
who  see  Palestine  in  the  spring  may  think  the  description 
just  given  to  be  overdrawn. 

“At  Bittir  the  mountains  recede  or  bend  round  in  such 
a way  as  to  form  a vast  natural  amphitheatre,  in  the  middle 
of  which  the  town  is  situated.  Below  the  village  are  large 
vegetable  gardens  for  supplying  the  Jerusalem  market, — ■ 
gardens  most  attractive  in  this  worn-out  land.  The  view 
down  the  gorge  to  the  west  and  up  the  valley  for  miles  to 
the  north,  its  superb  air,  and  the  fact  that  its  fountain  af- 
fords an  unfailing  water  supply,  mark  this  as  the  place  for 
a summer  hotel — the  delightful  retreat  of  the  Jerusalemites 
from  the  city’s  stifling  and  dusty  atmosphere.  Rising  far 
above  the  town  is  a long,  oval  ridge  covered  with  ancient 


49« 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ruins,  admirable  for  a place  of  defense,  and  called  the  Ruin 
of  the  Jews.  It  is  the  traditional  site  of  the  city  and 
stronghold  Bethar,  when  in  the  second  revolt  against  Rome, 
A.  D.  132-136,  Bar  Cochab  and  his  brave  followers  made 
a memorable  resistance  against  the  Roman  troops,  but  at 
last  were  compelled  to  yield,  the  famous  Hebrew  patriot 
himself  perishing  in  the  final  slaughter.”* 

The  abundant  water  supply  at  Bittir  makes  it  an  im- 
portant station  on  the  railway.  Water  is  carried  from  here 
to  Jerusalem,  eight  miles  away,  and  stored  in  great  tanks 
for  the  use  of  the  engines.  The  station  at  Jerusalem  is 
without  a natural  supply  of  water.  At  Jaffa  there  is  a well, 
another  at  Ramleh,  and  these,  with  the  fountains  at  Es 
Sejed  and  at  Bittir,  furnish  all  the  water  for  the  railway. 

The  hillsides  along  the  valleys  both  north  and  south  of 
Bittir  show  very  plainly  the  ancient  terraces,  for  when  the 
country  was  at  the  high  tide  of  its  prosperity  all  these  hills 
were  covered  with  orchards  and  vineyards,  and  the  valleys 
were  blooming  gardens.  Commencing  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  the  stones  were  loosened  and  built  into  a strong 
wall  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  and  between  the  wall  and 
the  sloping  hill  the  space  was  filled  up  with  the  loose  earth. 
In  this  way  a level  surface  of  earth  some  twenty  feet  wide 
was  formed.  Back  of  this  another  wall  was  built  and  the 
interior  space  filled  with  earth,  and  this  was  continued  until 
the  top  of  the  mountain  was  reached.  When  the  work  was 
completed  the  side  of  the  hill  presented  the  appearance  of 
a giant  stairway.  On  the  level  spaces  trees  and  vines  were 
planted,  and  that  it  must  have  presented  a beautiful  ap- 
pearance when  under  a full  state  of  cultivation  is  attested 
by  the  clumps  of  olive  trees  still  clinging  to  the  earth  and 
rocks  on  the  terraces.  But  the  walls  have  been  broken 


* “ The  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway,”  Scribner's  Magazine,  Dr.  Selah  Merrill. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


499 


down.  The  trees  were  destroyed  by  the  Romans,  the 
heavy  rains  carried  the  earth  down  into  the  valleys  and  the 
old  Judean  hills  are  barren  and  desolate. 

Along  the  valleys  and  on  the  hillsides  wherever  a 
patch  of  earth  remains  the  grass  grows  very  rank,  showing 
the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil.  The  shepherd  leads  his 
flock  from  the  valley  to  the  hilltop,  so  that  every  bunch  of 
green  grass  is  utilized  for  pasture.  One  cannot  see  a shep- 
herd leading  his  flock  in  Palestine  without  bringing  to 
mind  the  numerous  Scriptural  allusions  to  the  shepherd 
and  his  flock.  The  shepherds  of  to-day  are  much  the  same 
as  were  the  shepherds  of  Christ’s  time.  When  he  said,  “I 
am  the  good  shepherd,  and  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known 
of  mine,”  he  used  an  illustration  with  which  his  disciples 
were  familiar;  and  how  well  the  following  language  is  un- 
derstood in  Palestine:  “Pie  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name, 
and  leadeth  them  out.  And  when  he  putteth  forth  his  own 
sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him:  for 
they  know  his  voice.  And  a stranger  will  they  not  follow, 
but  will  flee  from  him:  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of 
strangers.”*  In  our  wanderings  in  Palestine  we  have  seen 
the  shepherds  lead  their  flocks  among  the  hills  which  en- 
compass Jerusalem  on  every  side,  on  the  plains  about  Beth- 
lehem, in  the  valley  of  Jordan,  along  the  shores  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  over  Hermon  and  Lebanon  and  by  the  waters  of 
Abana  and  Pharpar,  and  they  always  went  before  and 
called  their  sheep  by  name,  and  the  sheep,  familiar  with 
voice  and  name,  followed  their  leaders.  Once  in  the  valley 
south  of  Jerusalem  we  saw  a shepherd  leading  his  flock  and 
we  called  to  the  sheep,  but  they  recognized  not  the  voice  of 
the  stranger  and  fled  away  affrighted. 

*John  10:3-5. 


500 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANt)S. 


The  shepherd  goes  before  and  leads  the  way,  and  sees 
that  the  ground  is  safe  and  secure.  There  is  something 
strikingly  beautiful  and  assuring  in  the  language  of  the  first 
verses  of  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  and  it  is  not  a fancy  of 
the  imagination;  it  is  a simple  fact,  both  as  to  the  custom 
to  which  David  alludes  and  the  care  of  the  Lord  for  his 
people:  “The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I shall  not  want.  He 
maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures:  he  leadeth  me 
beside  the  still  waters.”* * * §  Could  language  be  more  tender, 
or  beautiful?  Then  to  see  the  shepherd  leading  his  flock 
with  tender  care  to  the  pastures  and  to  the  water  brooks 
makes  the  language  all  the  more  real  and  gives  the  entire 
figure  an  intensified  meaning. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  also  refers  to  the  good  shepherd 
in  this  beautiful  language:  “He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a 
shepherd:  he  shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry 
them  in  his  bosom. ”f  And  Micah  says:  “Feed  thy  people 
with  thy  rod,  the  flock  of  thine  heritage. As  a rule  the 
shepherd  does  not  need  to  feed  his  flock,  but  late  in  the 
fall,  when  the  pastures  are  dried  up,  this  becomes  necessa- 
ry. The  shepherd  carries  a rod  or  staff  when  he  leads  his 
flock  forth  to  the  pastures  to  feed  them.  With  it  he  guides 
his  flock  and  defends  them  from  their  enemies.  The  staff 
and  rod  David  refers  to  when  he  says,  “Thy  rod  and  thy 
staff  they  comfort  me.”§  Thomson  says  of  the  shepherds 
of  Palestine  that  they  are  armed  in  order  to  defend  their 
charges  and  are  very  courageous.  Many  adventures  with 
wild  beasts,  not  unlike  that  recounted  by  David,  occur;  and 
though  there  are  now  no  lions  here,  wolves,  leopards  and 

* Ps.  23: 1,  2. 

t Isa.  40: 11. 

t Micah  7: 14. 

§ Ps.  23:  4. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


501 


panthers  still  prowl  about  these  wild  valleys.* * * §  They  not 
unfrequently  attack  the  flock  in  the  very  presence  of  the 
shepherd.  I have  listened  with  interest  to  their  descrip- 
tions of  desperate  fights  with  those  savage  beasts.  And 
when  the  thief  and  robber  come,  and  come  they  do,  the 
faithful  shepherd  has  often  to  defend  his  flock  at  the  haz- 
ard of  his  life.  “The  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  his 
sheep. ’’f 

No  animals  are  more  helpless  than  sheep  that  have 
strayed  away  from  the  flock;  they  become  utterly  bewil- 
dered, for  they  seem  to  have  no  sense  or  knowledge  of  lo- 
cality and  are  without  the  instinct  that  leads  other  animals 
from  a strange  place  to  their  homes.  This  peculiarity 
seems  to  be  implied  in  the  prayer  and  confession  of  the 
Psalmist:  “I  have  gone  astray  like  a lost  sheep;  seek  thy 
servant. And  so  the  shepherd  in  the  parable  leaves  “the 
ninety  and  nine,  and  goeth  into  the  mountains,  and  seeketh 
that  which  is  gone  astray, ”§  for  he  well  knows  that  the 
poor  wanderer  will  never  find  the  way  back  by  any  skill  of 
its  own.  1| 

Leaving  Bittir  and  the  shepherd  and  his  flock,  we  fol- 
low the  Valley  of  Roses,  so  called  because  of  the  great 
quantity  of  these  beautiful  flowers  which  are  raised  here. 
The  valley  is  well  watered  by  three  springs  which  send 
forth  a copious  supply  of  fresh,  sweet  water  and  are  of  im- 
mense value  to  the  land.  One  sees  here  and  at  many  other 
places  in  Palestine  evidences  of  the  fact  that  the  land 
“ drinketh  water  of  the  rain  of  heaven. ”^[ 

* 1 Sam.  17:  34-37. 

f John  10:  11. 

t Ps.  119:  176. 

§ Matt.  iB:  12. 

||  “The  Land  and  the  Book,”  pages  594,  595. 

If  Deut.  11: 11. 


502 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Within  two  miles  of  Jerusalem  the  road  enters  the  val- 
ley of  Rephaim  which  is  only  a continuation  of  the  Valley 
of  Roses,  widened  out  as  we  approach  the  Holy  City. 
Through  the  valley  of  Rephaim  ran  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween Judah  and  Benjamin,*  and  here  it  is  called  the  Val- 
ley of  the  Giants.  This  name  was  given  it  because  of  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  who  dwelt  in  the  valley.  Here  in 
the  broad  valley  of  Rephaim  the  Philistines  often  en- 
camped, and  here  it  was  that  they  were  signally  defeated 
by  David.  “The  Philistines  also  came  up  and  spread 
themselves  in  the  valley  of  Rephaim. ”f  David  enquired  of 
the  Lord  as  to  whether  he  should  attack  his  enemy,  and  re- 
ceiving a favorable  answer  he  fell  upon  them  and  smote 
them  and  said,  “The  Lord  hath  broken  forth  upon  mine  en- 
emies before  me,  as  the  breach  of  waters.”  The  first  defeat 
did  not  satisfy  the  ancient  enemies,  for  they  came  up  again 
and  spread  themselves  in  the  valley  of  Rephaim,  and  again 
David  defeated  them,  driving  them  down  the  valley  past 
Bittir  until  “thou  come  to  Gazer, a distance  of  some 
twenty-five  miles. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  plain  or  valley  of  Rephaim  are 
the  heaps  of  stone  known  as  the  Seven  Ruins.  Of  these 
heaps  Dr.  Merrill  says:  “No  one  knows  who  placed  them 
there,  and  the  imagination  gives  them  an  exaggerated  im- 
portance. The  practical  explanation  of  their  existence  is 
in  the  tradition  that  the  plain  of  Rephaim  was  once  covered 
with  gardens,  of  which  there  is  now  no  possible  trace,  and 
that  these  stones  were  gathered  from  the  soil,  that  its  culti- 
vation might  be  more  complete  and  perfect.  These  hills 
the  railroad  company  have  purchased,  laid  a track  to  them, 


* Josh.  15:  8. 
f 2 Sam.  5:  x8. 
J 2 Sam.  25. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


503 


and  are  using  the  small  stones  of  which  they  are  entirely 
composed  to  bed  down  their  main  track.  How  accommo- 
dating the  old  inhabitants  were  to  place  these  millions  of 
cubic  feet  of  stones  just  where  they  would  be  most  conven- 
ient for  use  in  these  modern  times.” 

We  have  crossed  the  plain  of  Rephaim,  the  whistle 
sounds  out  over  the  hills  of  Judea,  the  conductor  shouts, 
“ Je-ru-sa-lem,”  as  we  pull  up  to  a neat  new  station  built  of 
stone,  and  we  are  at  the  end  of  our  first  railroad  journey  in 
Palestine.  The  station  is  one  mile  from  the  city  in  a south- 
westerly direction.  The  trip  from  Jaffa  has  been  made  in 
four  hours  and  has  been  delightfully  pleasant  and  full  of 
interest.  The  Elder  and  the  writer  are  soon  seated  in  a 
carriage  provided  by  our  excellent  dragoman,  Dimitrie  N. 
Tadros,  and  being  driven  out  upon  the  road  leading  from 
Jerusalem  to  Hebron.  Then,  turning  northward,  with  the 
new  city  and  the  walls  of  the  old  in  full  view,  we  cross  over 
the  valley  at  Hinnom,  the  lower  pool  of  Gihon  to  our  left, 
and  in  a few  minutes  reach  the  Jaffa  Gate.  The  sun  is  just 
tipping  the  western  hills  of  Judea  as  we  enter  the  gate,  and 
see  just  within  the  walls  a new  hotel  in  which  we  find  most 
comfortable  quarters.  It  was  our  home  during  our  tempo- 
rary stay  in  Jerusalem,  and  we  found  it  in  every  respect  a 
most  comfortable  home  indeed. 

We  could  not  help  contrasting  this  with  our  previous 
visit  to  Jerusalem.  We  then  rode  from  Jaffa  in  heavy,  jolt- 
ing wagons  over  a miserably  rough  road,  and  in  order  to 
break  the  monotony  of  the  journey  we  walked  a good  part 
of  the  way.  We  came  up  to  the  walls  at  midnight,  and  we 
then  wrote,  “In  a few  minutes  our  wagons  halt  at  a high 
tower  in  the  wall.  We  are  soon  on  the  ground  and  enter- 
ing the  Jaffa  Gate.  We  are  in  Jerusalem.  Travelers  have 
written  many  pages  describing  their  emotions  upon  first 


504 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


viewing  and  entering  the  city  of  cities.  Shivering  with 
cold  and  the  dampness  of  our  clothing,  we  do  not  feel  in  a 
mood  to  meditate.  We  hurry  to  our  hotel,  where  a cold 
reception  awaits  us.  There  is  no  fire  in  the  house,  and  at 
midnight  we  go  shivering  to  our  beds,  in  rooms  with  stone 
floors,  that  have  something  of  the  appearance  of  prison 
cells.”*  And  that  was  only  nine  years  ago.  As  we  sit  in 
the  large  reception  room  of  the  New  Hotel  before  a blazing 
fire,  for  the  evening  is  chilly,  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 
forts of  a first-class  hotel  at  home,  we  can  scarcely  realize 
that  we  are  in  Jerusalem.  Surely  a great  change  has  taken 
place  in  the  City  of  David. 


* “ Europe  and  Bible  Lands,”  page  242. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


^ — 

Jerusalem  from  Mount  of  Olives. — Walks  about  the  Holy  City. — The 
Jaffa  Gate. — Scriptural  Allusions. — Abraham. — Boas. — Slaying  of 
Abner  in  the  Gate.  — Eli. — Absalom's  Rebellion. — David's  Great 
Sorrow.  — The  Gate  a Symbol  of  Power. — - Our  Beggars.  — Street 
Scene  in  Jerusalem. — The  Minaret. — Praying  Moslems. — A Mixed 
Multitude. — Len tiles. — Wine  and  Water  Bottles. — The  Milk  Seller. 


‘ Glorious  thing's  of  thee  are  spoken, 
Zion!  City  of  our  God.” 


'HE  first  sight  of  Jerusalem  is  apt  to  be  disappointing 
to  the  traveler,  and  especially  is  this  true  if  he  ap- 
A proach  from  the  north,  south  or  west.  From  the 
east,  however,  the  view  is  very  fine  and  inspiring.  Here 
one  catches  the  first  sight  of  the  place  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  the  Holy  City  is  spread  out  in  a grand  pano- 
ramic view,  most  beautiful  and  impressive  to  look  upon. 
There  is  no  other  equal  to  it  in  the  world. 

Our  artist  gives  us  a photograph  of  this  view  of  Jerusa- 
lem, which  is  here  reproduced.  It  was  taken  on  the  side  of 
Mount  Olivet,  above  and  beyond  the  Garden  of  Gethsc-m- 
ane,  just  in  the  rear  of  the  new  Greek  church,  the  peculiar 
shaped  roof  and  spires  of  which  form  the  foreground  of  the 
picture.  The  eastern  wall  of  the  city  and  the  Golden  Gate, 
centrally  located,  with  the  Moslem  cemetery  in  front,  are 
all  plainly  shown.  To  the  left  in  the  view  is  a large  dome- 
shaped building.  It  is  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  a Mohamme- 
dan church,  and  occupies  a place  on  Mount  Moriah  not  far 
from,  if  not  on,  the  very  spot  where  Solomon’s  Temple 
once  stood.  The  buildings  west  of  the  mosque  are  on  Mt. 

505 


5°6 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Zion,  the  site  of  the  Wise  King’s  palace.  The  pathway 
seen  in  the  picture  leads  down  into  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  crosses  the  brook  Kidron  and  intersects  the  road  to 
Bethany.  The  observer,  of  course,  overlooks  the  deep  val- 
ley which  is  only  partly  shown  in  the  photograph.  The 
view  is  an  excellent  one,  and  if  any  of  our  readers  should 
visit  the  Holy  City  and  climb  the  Mount  of  Olives,  they 
will  recognize  how  true  the  picture  is  to  the  real. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  give  a detailed  account  of  Je- 
rusalem. This  we  have  already  done  in  a previous  vol- 
ume.* W7e  shall  content  ourselves  with  sketches  of  our 
walks  about  the  City  of  David.  Volumes  have  been  writ- 
ten, and  volumes  will  be  written,  without  number,  descrip- 
tive of  the  Holy  City,  and  yet  the  subject  is  still  fresh  and 
new.  It  is  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  interest.  Here,  within 
and  about  the  compass  of  these  walls,  only  two  and  a half 
miles  in  extent,  occurred  events  which  have  changed  the 
history  of  the  world.  From  amid  these  hills  round  about 
Zion  have  gone  forth  influences  that  have  wrought  greater 
and  deeper  changes  upon  the  human  race  than  can  be  fath- 
omed by  the  finite  mind.  W7e  know  something  of  the  one 
supreme  event  connected  with  the  history  of  this  old  city, 
but  we  shall  only  know  its  full  significance  and  its  mystery 
when  we  shall  have  passed  the  portals  of  the  grave.  It  is 
because  of  these  influences  and  the  deep  hold  they  have 
upon  the  human  heart  that  so  much  interest  is  taken  in  Je- 
rusalem and  its  surroundings. 

But  to  our  walks,  and  let  the  first  one  be  to  the  gates 
of  the  city.  The  New  Hotel,  our  Jerusalem  home,  stands 
within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  Jaffa  Gate,  the  principal  en- 
trance and  thoroughfare  of  the  Holy  City.  Many  times  we 
passed  in  and  out  at  the  Jaffa  Gate,  at  morning,  noon  and 


* “ Europe  and  Bible  Lands,”  1884. 


Jerusalem  from  the  Mount  of  Olives.  New  Greek  Church  in  the  Foreground. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


509 


night.  We  have  walked,  stood  and  sat  in  the  gate.  We 
have  gone  there  to  study  the  Scriptural  allusions  to  the 
gates  of  the  city  and  have  seen  how  clearly  the  conditions, 
even  to-day,  after  so  many  changes  have  been  made,  agree 
with  the  Bible  language.  Then,  too,  it  has  been  a source 
of  never-failing  interest  to  take  a stand  near  the  gate  and 
watch  those  who  come  in  and  go  out.  Here  at  the  Jaffa 
Gate  one  may  stand  or  sit  an  hour  or  two  during  the  busy 
part  of  the  day  and  see  people  coming  and  going  from 
about  every  part  of  the  Christian  and  Mohammedan  world, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  Jews  who  come  from  the  four  quar- 
ters of  the  globe. 

The  Jaffa  Gate  stands  near  the  northwest  angle  of  the 
walls  and  within  a short  distance  of  the  Tower  of  David. 
It  is  a castle-like  tower  built  in  connection  with  the  walls 
of  the  city  and  is  some  forty  feet  high  and  nearly  as  many 
square.  The  top  of  the  tower  serves  as  a lookout  for  the 
watchman,  and  in  the  upper  part  a chamber  was  originally 
built  which  was  reached  by  a flight  of  stairs.  Entering  the 
gate,  a turn  at  right  angles  must  be  made  before  one  gets 
through.  In  fact  there  are  two  gates,  one  into  the  tower, 
the  other  from  the  tower  into  the  city;  a plan  adopted  in 
the  construction  of  the  gates  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  the 
place.  The  doorways  are  twelve  feet  wide  and  sixteen 
high.  Within  the  tower  is  a considerable  space  arched 
overhead  where  one  may  stand  or  sit  at  pleasure.  It  is  a 
cool,  shady  place,  and  is  something  of  a resort  for  the  peo- 
ple of  the  city.  The  heavy,  iron-plated  doors  were  former- 
ly closed  at  sundown,  but  now  stand  wide  open  day  and 
night,  and  the  inhabitants  come  and  go  at  will.  Even  the 
Turkish  soldier  who  once  guarded  the  gateway  is  no  more 
on  duty. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


510 

While  we  are  standing  in  the  gate  or,  rather,  between 
“the  gates,”  let  us  look  at  some  of  the  Scriptural  references 
that  bear  directly  upon  this  subject.  We  shall  find  many 
of  them,  for  the  Bible  refers  to  the  gates  of  the  city,  both 
literally  and  figuratively,  a great  number  of  times.  In  the 
olden  time  the  gate  of  the  city  was  a place  where  assem- 
blies were  held,  judgment  rendered,  and  contracts  con- 
cluded and  witnessed.  Jerome  says  that,  as  the  Jews  were 
for  the  most  part  engaged  in  laboring  in  the  field,  it  was 
wisely  arranged  that  assemblies  should  be  held  at  the  city 
gates,  and  that  justice  should  be  administered  there,  so  that 
the  laboring  men  who  were  busy  at  their  work  might  lose 
no  time,  and  that  the  country  people  who  had  affairs  on 
their  hands  to  settle  might  find  the  judges  at  the  gates,  in- 
stead of  going  into  the  city. 

When  Abraham  was  bowed  down  with  grief  by  the 
death  of  his  beloved  wife  Sarah,  he  communed  with  the 
children  of  Heth  and  bargained  with  them  for  the  cave  of 
Machpelah  where  he  might  bury  his  dead  out  of  his  sight. 
The  sum  of  money  to  be  paid  was  agreed  upon,  and  the 
silver  weighed  out,  but  the  contract  was  not  fully  complet- 
ed until  all  was  “made  sure  unto  Abraham  for  a possession 
in  the  presence  of  the  children  of  Heth,  before  all  that 
went  in  at  the  gate  of  his  city.”*  So  also  Boaz,  when  he 
arranged  for  the  marriage  of  Ruth,  the  beautiful  Moabitess, 
went  up  to  the  gate  of  the  city  “and  sat  him  down  there.” 
Then  he  called  to  him  ten  elders  of  the  city  and  said  to 
them,  “Sit  ye  down  here.  And  they  sat  down.”  And  be- 
fore these  judges  and  the  witnesses  before  the  gate  he 
bought  the  parcel  of  land  which  belonged  to  Elimelech 
and  with  the  inheritance  came  also  the  hand  of  the  fair 
widow  Ruth.  The  bargain  was  made  and  Boaz  called  upon 


Gen.  23:  17,  18, 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


5” 

them  to  witness  what  had  been  done:  “ And  all  the  people 
that  were  in  the  gate,  and  the  elders,  said,  We  are  wit- 
nesses.”* * * § 

The  gate  of  the  city  was  also  the  scene  of  sorrow  and 
bloodshed.  Here  in  this  open  space  where  we  are  now 
standing  Joab  took  Abner  aside  as  if  he  would  speak  to 
him  privately,  “and  smote  him  there  under  the  fifth  rib,  that 
he  died.”f  It  must  have  been  in  the  open  space  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  gate  that  Eli  sat  waiting  anxiously  with  trem- 
bling heart,  fearing  lest  the  battle  should  go  against  Israel 
and  the  ark  of  God  be  taken;  and  when  the  news  of  defeat 
came  and  his  worst  fears  were  realized,  “he  fell  from  off 
the  seat  backward  by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and  his  neck 
broke,  and  he  died. ’’I  And  yonder  “beside  the  way  of  the 
gate”  stood  David’s  handsome  but  rebellious  son,  and  as 
the  people  came  and  went,  as  they  are  coming  and  going 
now,  he  spoke  to  them  courteously,  and  when  any  came 
near  to  bow  to  him  he  took  them  by  the  hand,  greeted 
them  cordially  and  kissed  them,  and  thus  he  “stole  the 
hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel. ”§ 

The  story  of  the  rebellion  of  Absalom  is  one  of  the 
most  pathetic  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  closing  scene  of 
the  tragedy  was  enacted  in  the  gate  of  the  city,  when  the 
news  of  the  death  of  his  boy  came  with  such  crushing  force 
upon  King  David.  Standing  in  the  gate  we  can  see  how 
natural  the  whole  story  is.  There  by  the  side  of  the  gate 
stood  the  king,  as  the  people  came^out  by  hundreds  and  by 
thousands  to  go  to  the  battle  against  Absalom,  and  all  the 
people  heard  the  appeal  that  came  from  the  father  heart, 
“ Deal  gently  for  my  sake  with  the  young  man,  even  with 

* Ruth  4:  1-12. 

t 2 Sam.  3:  27. 

t 1 Sam.  4: 18. 

§ 2 Sam.  iy.6. 


512 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Absalom.”*  Then  came  the  long,  weary  day  of  watching 
and  waiting  for  news  of  the  battle.  “ And  David  sat  be- 
tween the  two  gates,”  that  is,  here  between  the  inner  and 
outer  gate  where  he  was  protected  from  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  the  watchman  stood  on  top  of  the  tower  and  looking 
out  over  the  plain  caught  sight  of  a man  running  alone,  and 
he  cried  out  and  told  the  king.  Then  came  the  messenger, 
and  the  first  question  that  came  from  the  anxious  heart  of 
the  father  was,  “Is  the  young  man  Absalom  safe?”  The 
messenger  turned  aside  unable  to  answer  the  question. 
Then  came  the  second  runner  Cushi,  and  again  came  the 
question,  “Is  the  young  man'  Absalom  safe?”  The  blunt 
Cushi  broke  the  news  in  a few  words:  “The  enemies  of  my 
lord  the  king,  and  all  that  rise  against  thee  to  do  thee  hurt, 
be  as  that  young  man  is.”  Then  the  king  knew  that  his 
wayward,  rebellious  boy  was  dead.  He  cared  to  hear  no 
more.  What  was  the  victory  to  him, — the  son  he  loved  was 
dead.  He  turned  away,  and  “went  up  to  the  chamber  that 
was  over  the  gate,  and  wept.”  Here  he  might  hide  his 
face,  and  the  cry  of  anguish  that  was  wrung  from  his  bro- 
ken heart  as  he  went  up  has  been  echoed  by  millions  of 
heart-broken  fathers  and  mothers  over  wayward  sons  and 
daughters  since  these  words  burst  from  the  lips  of  King 
David:  “O  my  son  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom! 
would  God  I had  died  for  thee.  O Absalom,  my  son,  my 
son! ”f 

The  gates  of  the  city  were  built  very  strong  and  forti- 
fied in  every  possible  way.  In  the  strength  of  the  gates  the 
people  trusted  for  safety,  and  from  the  top  of  the  towers 
and  from  the  chamber  above  the  gate,  where  soldiers  were 
stationed,  the  archers  discharged  volleys  of  arrows  at  their 


* 2 Sam.  18:  5. 
t 2 Sam.  18:  33. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


513 


enemies.  Because  of  the  strength  of  the  gate  the  word  be- 
came the  symbol  of  power  and  dominion.  In  this  sense  the 
word  is  used  many  times  in  the  Bible,  as,  for  example,  in 
the  promise  made  to  Abraham  that  his  seed  should  possess 
the  gates  of  his  enemies.* * * §  The  Savior  also  gives  the  word 
this  same  meaning  when  he  tells  his  disciples  that  “upon 
this  rock  I will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.”f 

Of  a different  character  is  the  allusion  made  by  the 
Savior  to  the  strait  gate  and  narrow  way.J  The  language 
does  not  apply  to  the  Jaffa  Gate  where  we  are  now  stand- 
ing, for  it  is  wide  and  multitudes  are  going  in  and  out;  but 
it  does  apply  to  some  of  the  gates  of  the  city.  Dr.  Thomas 
says:  “I  have  seen  these  strait  gates  and  narrow  ways  with 
here  and  there  a traveler.  They  are  in  the  retired  corners, 
and  must  be  sought  for,  and  are  opened  only  to  those  who 
knock;  and  when  the  sun  goes  down  and  the  night  comes 
on,  they  are  shut  and  locked.  It  is  then  too  late.”§ 

Thus  we  might  sit  here  in  the  gate  of  the  city  and  call 
up  one  Bible  allusion  after  another,  all  of  which  are  so 
clearly  illustrated  in  the  conditions  found  here  to-day.  It 
would  be  pleasant  and  interesting  to  do  so,  and  a small  vol- 
ume might  be  written,  and  yet  the  subject  would  not  be  ex- 
hausted; but  we  leave  the  gate  and  enter  the  city. 

Just  inside  the  Jaffa  Gate  is  a broad  way  or  street,  on 
one  side  of  which  stands  the  New  Hotel,  while  the  other 
side  is  lined  with  shops  of  various  kinds.  Among  others 
are  several  baker  shops.  In  our  walks  about  the  city  we 
found  three  beggars  or,  rather,  they  found  us.  Two  half- 
grown  boys  nearly  naked  (indeed  the  few  rags  they  wore 

* Gen.  22: 17. 

t Matt.  16: 18. 

t Matt.  7: 14. 

§ Luke  13: 25, 


514 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


only  made  their  nakedness  the  more  apparent),  and  a poor, 
miserable  cripple  who  hobbled  along  on  crutches  composed 
the  trie.  We  met  them  near  the  Jaffa  Gate  on  our  first 
walk  through  the  city.  They  soon  made  us  understand 
what  they  wanted.  Pointing  to  the  shops  where  bread  was 
sold  and  then  laying  their  hands  on  that  portion  of  the 
body  where  the  pangs  of  hunger  are  the  most  keenly  felt, 
they  gave  such  a pitiful  look  out  of  their  hungry  eyes  that 
we  at  once  crossed  the  street  with  them  and  bought  them  a 
supply  of  bread.  It  was  well  worth  the  money  spent  to  see 
them  cat.  Every  morning  after  this,  during  our  stay  of 
some  weeks  in  the  city,  our  three  beggars  waited  for  us  at 
the  hotel  door,  and  as  regularly  were  they  supplied  with 
bread.  They  had  picked  up  a few  words  of  English, 
French  and  Italian,  and  they  usually  greeted  us  with  a jum- 
ble of  these  words-:  “Good  morning,  Signor,  Madame,  Bon 
jour  Katera.  Muskeen,  Backsheesh,  you  please  Signor, 
Madame,  good-bye.”  They  never  failed  to  kiss  our  hands 
and  were  profuse  in  thanks  after  receiving  the  bread. 

Jerusalem  is  situated  in  the  hill  country  of  Judea  and 
is  a city  of  hills.  In  walking  through  the  city  from  west  to 
cast  one  must  go  down  from  Mount  Zion,  which  in  the  olden 
time  was  the  City  of  David,  and  climb  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Moriah,  where  was  located  the  threshing  floor  of  the  Jeb- 
usitc  which  David  bought  and  turned  into  a place  of 
worship,  and  where  King  Solomon  subsequently  built  his 
great  temple.  Both  these  hills  or  mountains  are  now  in- 
side the  walls  of  the  city.  The  streets  are  constructed  with 
a view  of  facilitating  going  up  hill  and  down,  and  are  at 
some  places  so  many  great  stairways,  the  steps  of  which 
arc  ten  to  twelve  inches  high  and  as  many  feet  wide. 
These  are  paved  with  blocks  of  stone  from  side  to  side,  and 
if  they  were  kept  clean  they  would  present  a pleasing  ap- 


Street  View  in  Jerusalem. 


I 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


517 


pearance.  But  cleanliness  is  unknown  among  the  authori- 
ties of  the  city,  and  dirt  and  filth  prevail  on  every  side.  It 
must  have  been  the  same  in  David’s  time,  for  he  alludes  to 
it  when  he  says,  “I  did  cast  them  out  as  dirt  in  the 
streets.”*  The  streets  are  narrow,  and  when  it  rains  walk- 
ing is  anything  but  a pleasure.  Our  photogravure  is  a re- 
production of  a street  and  a street  scene  in  Jerusalem. 
The  steps  before  referred  to  are  plainly  brought  out,  as  well 
as  the  stone  pavement  of  the  street.  In  the  group  at  the 
left  may  be  seen  several  European  ladies;  the  other  figures 
are  natives.  In  the  distance  is  a high  tower  with  a plat- 
form near  the  top.  It  is  the  minaret  of  a Mohammedan 
mosque.  The  minaret  is  to  the  mosque  what  steeples  and 
belfries  are  to  churches.  Instead,  however,  of  having  a 
bell  to  call  the  people  to  worship,  the  muezzin,  a Moslem 
with  lusty  lung  power  and  strong  of  voice,  attends  to  this 
duty.  Five  times  a day  he  takes  his  place  upon  the  plat- 
form at  the  top  of  the  minaret  and,  facing  east,  west, 
north  and  south  successively,  calls  the  faithful  Moslem  to 
prayer.  At  daybreak,  at  sunrise,  at  midday,  and  before 
and  after  sunset,  the  voice  of  the  muezzin  may  be  heard 
sounding  out  over  the  city  from  his  high  station,  Allah  ak- 
bar  ashhadu  anna  la  ilaha  ill ’ Allah , wa  Muliammcdu-rrasul 
Allah  hayy a ; alas- s ala.  “Allah  is  great;  I testify  that  there 
is  no  God  but  Allah,  and  Mohammed  is  the  prophet  of  Al- 
lah; come  to  prayer.”  Sometimes  at  midnight  the  solemn 
stillness  of  the  night  is  broken  by  the  call  to  prayer,  and 
the  faithful  Moslem  who  may  be  awake  at  that  hour  en- 
gages in  devotion. 

At  the  call  of  the  muezzin  the  Moslem  at  once  engages 
in  prayer,  be  he  in  the  street,  in  the  field,  in  the  shop,  or  in 
his  house.  We  have  watched  them  kneeling  down  and  say- 


* Ps.  18:  42. 


$i8 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ing  their  prayers,  and  they  seem  to  be  wholly  absorbed  in 
their  devotions.  They  pay  no  attention  whatever  to  look- 
ers-on, and  as  they  pray  seem  entirely  oblivious  to  their 
surroundings.  This  is  the  result  of  training  and  habit. 
Children  are  taught  to  pray  and  during  their  devotions 
they,  like  the  men,  seem  to  be  entirely  isolated  from  their 
surroundings.  Dr.  Thomson  says:  “There  is  certainly  an 
air  of  great  solemnity  in  their  mode  of  worship  and,  when 
performed  by  a large  assembly  in  the  mosques,  or  by  a de- 
tachment of  soldiers  in  concert,  guided  in  the  movements 
of  their  bodies  by  an  iman  or  Dervish,  chanting  the  service, 
it  is  quite  impressive.  I have  seen  it  enacted  by  moon- 
light, on  the  wild  banks  of  the  Orontes,  in  the  plain  of  Ha- 
math, and  the  scene  was  something  more  than  romantic. 
But,  alas!  it  was  by  as  villainous  a set  of  robbers  as  could 
be  found  even  in  that  lawless  region.” 

The  peculiar  attitudes  assumed  in  prayer  by  the  Mos- 
lems often  attracted  our  attention  and  are  rather  interest- 
ing. The  shoes  or  sandals  are  removed  from  the  feet,  and 
among  the  wealthy  a rug  is  spread  upon  the  floor  or 
ground.  The  next  care  is  to  turn  the  face  toward  Mecca, 
the  birthplace  of  Mohammed.  This  custom  was  borrowed 
from  the  Jews.  Daniel  kneeled  before  the  open  window  in 
his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem  “three  times  a day,  and 
prayed  and  gave  thanks  before  his  God.”*  After  securing 
a correct  position  the  devotee  raises  the  open  hands  until 
the  thumbs  nearly  touch  the  ear,  repeating  at  the  same 
time  the  words,  Allah  ku  akbar,  “God  is  most  great.” 
The  hands  are  next  folded  together  across  the  waist,  and 
the  first  chapter  of  the  Koran  is  recited.  The  hands  are 
next  placed  on  the  knees  and  the  body  bent  forward. 
This  is  repeated,  and  then  dropping  upon  the  knees  the 


* Dan.  6:  io. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


519 


body  is  bent  forward  until  the  forehead  touches  the  ground 
between  the  extended  hands.  This  is  repeated  three  times, 
and  while  these  movements  are  going  on  short  portions  of 
the  Koran  are  mumbled  over,  and  the  statement  is  made 
over  and  over  again  that  there  is  but  one  God  and  Moham- 
med is  his  prophet.  This  finishes  the  prayer.  The  Mos- 
lem rises  and  goes  about  his  work  again,  ready  to  repeat 
the  performance  at  the  next  call  of  the  muezzin. 

If  much  praying  made  people  good,  then  the  Moslems 
would  stand  high  in  piety  and  virtue.  Unfortunately  in  his 
case  the  opposite  is  true.  He  will  rise  from  his  prayers 
and  steal,  lie,  and  cheat  as  if  these  were  virtues  instead  of 
vices.  Of  course  there  are  exceptions,  but  the  exceptions 
are  so  rare  that  they  exemplify  the  rule. 

Walking  through  these  ancient  streets  one  sees  people 
from  almost  every  nation  under  the  sun.  Here  are  pilgrims 
from  the  cold  regions  of  the  north  and  from  equatorial  Af- 
rica. The  Western  World  is  well  represented,  and  the 
Orient  sends  in  a full  quota  of  pilgrims  with  their  peculiar 
costumes  and  singular  habits.  Not  only  are  professing 
Christians  attracted  to  Jerusalem  and  make  pilgrimages 
hither,  but  here  are  devout  and  pious  Jews  from  all  quarters 
of  the  globe,  who  come  hoping  against  hope  that  the  deliv- 
erer will  come  and  that  the  throne  of  their  ancient  city  will 
be  again  restored  to  the  house  of  David.  They  come  here 
to  weep  and  pray  over  the  desolation  of  their  beloved  Zion, 
and  surely  they  have  cause  for  weeping.  And  then  the 
Moslem  considers  a pilgrimage  to  the  Mosque  of  Omar  a 
pious  undertaking,  second  only  to  going  to  Mecca  itself, 
for  which  he  is  sure  to  be  rewarded;  and  so  he  may  be  seen 
on  the  temple  platform  scowling  at  every  Christian  who 
crosses  the  sacred  ground,  or  praying  in  some  of  the  many 


520  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

open  spaces  about  what  was  once  the  court  of  Solomon’s 
Temple. 

In  a single  day’s  walk  through  the  streets  of  the  city 
and  about  its  walls  we  met  nearly  a score  of  representatives 
of  the  different  nations  of  the  earth.  Here  is  a band  of 
Russian  pilgrims,  men  and  women  who  are  returning  from 
the  Jordan.  They  have  made  the  journey  on  foot  and  are 
dusty  and  travel-stained.  Their  homes  are  in  the  cold  re- 
gions of  northern  Europe  and  they  wear  the  heavy  woollen 
and  fur  clothing,  with  the  fur  boots  of  that  northern  cli- 
mate. They  are  low  in  stature,  are  heavy  set,  and  their 
thick  clothing  gives  them  a dumpy  appearance.  The  men 
wear  full  beards  and  the  hair  falls  down  upon  the  should- 
ers. They  present  a striking  appearance  as  they  trudge 
along,  each  with  a pilgrim’s  staff  in  hand. 

And  here  we  have  the  other  extreme — pilgrims  from 
Abyssinia.  They  are  clad  in  light,  scanty  garments,  which 
here  are  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  them  warm,  but  are 
more  than  they  have  need  of  under  the  tropical  sun  where 
their  lot  in  life  is  cast.  They  come  here  to  see  and  to  wor- 
ship. The  religious  instinct  in  them  is  strong  and  it  finds 
expression  in  the  long,  weary  pilgrimage  they  have  made 
to  visit  Jerusalem.  A journey  of  this  kind  to  these  people 
means  self-sacrifice  and  hardship.  It  is  by  no  means  a 
pleasure  trip.  While  we  admire  their  zeal  we  pity  their  ig- 
norance. 

The  Jews  one  meets  everywhere  except  on  the  temple 
platform,  where  they  are  forbidden  to  go.  In  recent  years 
their  number  has  largely  increased  here  by  immigration. 
Just  now  an  order  is  in  force  from  the  Sultan,  forbidding 
Jews  to  land  in  Palestine.  As  you  meet  them  in  the  streets 
and  on  the  highway  you  may  know  them  by  the  Jewish 
type  of  face,  by  their  long,  black  robes  and  caps  trimmed 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS 


521 


with  fur.  Years  of  oppression  and  persecution  have  left 
their  stamp  upon  the  faces  of  these  people.  There  is  a 
look  of  sadness  about  them  that  appeals  to  the  heart  of  the 
sympathetic. 

Here  is  a group  of  Beduins  from  beyond  the  Jordan, 
obbers  every  one  of  them,  but  a wholesome  dread  of  the 
law  restrains  them.  But  woe  to  the  luckless  traveler  who 
enters  their  territory  without  a sufficient  guard.  The  fate 
of  the  man  who  went  down  to  Jericho  and  fell  among 
thieves  awaits  him.  With  these  are  native  Arabs,  men  and 
women,  the  dwellers  in  the  villages  around  about  Jerusa- 
lem, with  the  Bethlehemites,  a distinct  class.  Then  there  is 
a mixture  of  Copts  and  Armenians  from  the  East,  Greeks 
and  Moslems  from  various  parts  of  Asia  Minor,  Egyptians 
and  Nubians  from  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  Persians  and  Mes- 
opotamians from  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  Turkish 
soldiers  quartered  in  the  Tower  of  David,  with  English, 
German,  French,  Austrian,  Italian,  Spanish  and,  last  but  by 
no  means  least,  American  representatives.  One  might 
search  a long  time  and  not  find  a better  school  in  which  to 
study  various  specimens  of  the  human  race  than  may  be 
found  in  Jerusalem  during  the  season  of  the  year  when  the 
pilgrimages  are  made,  say  from  February  to  May. 

The  bazaars  and  shops  in  the  city  are  by  no  means 
equal  to  those  of  Cairo  or  Damascus,  and  yet  we  may  pass 
some  time  not  without  profit  among  the  tradespeople  on 
the  business  streets.  Here  all  the  products  of  the  country 
are  exposed  for  sale,  and  here,  too,  the  money  changers  do 
a thriving  business.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  in  character 
they  do  not  essentially  differ  from  the  same  class  who  were 
driven  from  the  temple  by  our  Savior.* 

In  the  grain  market  we  saw  the  red  and  yellow  lentiles 


* John  2: 14. 


5^2  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

which  are  common  both  here  and  in  Egypt.  A quantity  of 
these  were  purchased,  and  a test  will  be  made  as  to  wheth- 
er they  will  grow  on  the  prairies  of  Illinois.  The  lentil  is  a 
small  pea  a fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  of  an  oval  shape, 
convex  on  both  sides.  A thin,  brownish  hull  covers  the 
kernel.  When  stewed  and  properly  seasoned  the  lentiles 
have  an  appetizing  fragrance,  tempting  to  a hungry  person. 
It  was  from  these  red  lentiles  that  Jacob  made  the  mess  of 
savory  pottage  that  tempted  the  hungry  Esau,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, “Feed  me  with  that  same  red  pottage.”  Jacob 
saw  his  opportunity,  and,  with  that  shrewdness  which  has 
since  characterized  his  descendants,  drove  a sharp  bar- 
gain. “Sell  me  this  day  thy  birthright,”  and  his  weak, 
careless  brother  was  easily  overreached.  The  contract  was 
made  and  sealed  by  an  oath,  “And  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread 
and  pottage  of  lentils.  . . . And  he  sold  his  birthright 

to  Jacob.”* 

The  plant  of  the  lentiles,  as  we  have  seen  them  growing 
both  in  Palestine  and  Egypt,  attains  to  a height  of  about 
one  foot.  It  resembles  the  pea-vine  in  some  respects,  the 
leaves  being  longer  and  narrower.  The  blossoms  are  pur- 
ple in  color,  and  come  out  in  clusters.  These  are  followed 
by  the  pod  which  is  flat  and  contains  a number  of  the 
small  peas.  When  ripe  the  lentiles  are  pulled  and  taken  to 
the  threshing-floor,  where  they  are  threshed  and  winnowed 
like  wheat.  They  form  an  important  article  of  food  in  Pal- 
estine. They  are  stewed  as  before  described,  and  are  also 
ground  and  mixed  with  wheat  or  barley  flour  and  made  in- 
to bread.  Ezekiel  refers  to  this  when  he  says,  “Take  thou 
also  unto  thee  wheat,  and  barley,  and  beans,  and  lentiles,  . 

and  put  them  in  one  vessel,  and  make  thee  bread 

thereof.’  f 


* Gen.  25:30-34. 
t Ezek.  4:  9. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


r 'y 

5 “A 

Not  far  from  the  grain  market  is  a little  shop  in  which 
a workman  carries  on  the  business  of  mending  wine  and 
water  bottles.  The  shop  is  quite  open  to  the  street  and 
about  the  man  are  piled  up  “wine  bottles,  old  and  rent, 
and  bound  up.”*  Just  now  he  is  busy  patching  and  sewing 
up  a rent  in  an  old,  bursted  bottle  which,  from  its  looks, 
had  been  in  his  hands  for  repairs  before.  Such  a collection 
of  bottles  as  this  the  Gibeonites  must  have  made  when 
they  so  easily  deceived  Joshua,  and  secured  from  him  by 
craft  a league  and  covenant  of  peace.  “ And  these  bottles 
of  wine,”  said  they,  “which  we  filled  were  new;  and,  now, 
behold,  they  be  rent.”f 

Then,  too,  we  recall  at  once  the  Savior’s  language  as 
we  stand  before  the  bottle-mender’s  shop:  “And  no  man 
puttcth  new  wine  into  old  bottles;  else  the  new  wine  will 
burst  the  bottles,  and  be  spilled,  and  the  bottles  shall  per- 
ish. But  new  wine  must  be  put  into  new  bottles;  and  both 
are  preserved.”^  Here  one  can  see  the  full  force  of  the  il- 
lustration, for  who  would  think  of  using  one  of  these  old 
bottles  for  wine?  The  bottles  are  the  skins  of  goats 
stripped  from  the  body  with  as  little  cutting  as  possible. 
The  neck  of  the  animal  forms  the  mouth  of  the  bottle. 
New  wine  always  ferments  and  expands,  and  when  put  into 
a new  bottle,  which  is  strong  and  elastic  and  stretches  as 
the  wine  ferments,  it  is  saved;  but  if  put  into  one  of  these 
old  wine  skins,  which  is  no  longer  elastic  but  hard  and  brit- 
tle, the  bottle  bursts,  and  wine  and  bottle  both  perish. 
How  natural  the  illustration  is  when  seen  in  the  1 ight 
thrown  upon  it  here  at  this  little  shop  with  the  old  wine 
bottles. 


* Josh,  9:  4. 
t Josh.  9: 13 
t Luke  5:37,  38. 


524 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  skin  bottle  also  serves  the  purpose  of  a churn.  The 
cream  is  put  into  it  and  it  is  then  suspended,  often  from  the 
branch  of  a tree  where  it  is  shaken  and  twisted,  pounded 
and  kneaded,  until  the  butter  comes.  It  is  then  taken  out, 
boiled,  and  put  into  goat  skins  for  use.  It  is  like  o;l  and  is 
the  only  kind  of  butter  the  natives  have.  Of  the  churn  and 
churning  Dr.  Thomson  says:  “I  suppose  they  made  butter 
in  much  the  same  way  in  olden  times.  Solomon  says: 
‘ Surely  the  churning  of  milk  bringeth  forth  butter,  and  the 
wringing  of  the  nose  bringeth  forth  blood.’*  But  the  word 
for  churning  and  wringing  is  the  same  in  Hebrew.  It  is 
the  wringing  of  milk  that  bringeth  forth  butter,  just  as 
these  women  are  squeezing  and  wringing  the  milk  in  that 
skin  bottle.  There  is  no  analogy  between  our  mode  of 
churning,  and  pulling  a man’s  nose  until  the  blood  comes; 
but  in  this  native  operation  the  comparison  is  quite  natural 
and  emphatic. ”f 

The  skin  of  the  kid  is  carefully  prepared  and  made  in- 
to bottles  in  which  milk  is  carried  and  sold  in  the  streets  of 
the  city.  Leaving  the  bottle-mender’s  shop,  carrying  with 
us  one  of  the  old  wine  bottles,  on  the  way  to  our  hotel  we 
pass  a milkmaid.  She  carries  the  kid  skin  with  the  milk 
in  it  in  a basket  on  her  head.  Finding  a customer  she  sets 
the  basket  on  the  ground  and  squats  beside  it.  Then  she 
places  the  measure  near  the  basket,  takes  hold  of  the 
neck  of  the  bottle  with  one  hand  and,  pressing  on  the  skin 
with  the  other,  causes  the  milk  to  flow  into  the  cup.  So 
skillfully  is  this  done  that  not  a drop  of  the  milk  is  wasted. 
The  skill  manifested  in  filling  the  measure  is  the  only  thing 
attractive  about  the  milkmaid.  Her  hands  and  face  are 
covered  with  dirt,  and  the  skin  bottle  is  in  the  same  condi- 
tion, and  we  are  glad  that  with  us  milk  is  not  one  of  the  ne- 
cessities of  life. 


* Prov.  30:  33. 

t “ The  Land  and  the  Book,”  page  456. 


* ✓ 


CHAPTER 


A Quiet  Lord' s Day.  — The  Last  Supper.  — - Gethsemane.  — Mount  of 
Olives.  — Meditation.  — David's  Sorrow.  — ■ Solomon  s Builders. — 
Captivity. — The  Triumphant  Entry  into  Jerusalem. — The  Agony. 
— The  Shadow  of  the  Cross. — Abide  with  Me. 

foy HERE  are  some  impressions  made  upon  the  mind 
snII  that  are  more  lasting  than  others,  some  memories 
jD*hr  that  cling  to  us  while  others  vanish  away  and  are 
cfcy  forgotten.  These  may  result  from  some  deep  sor- 
row that  covers  the  soul  as  the  flood  of  many  waters,  the 
shadow  of  which  follows  us  all  along  our  pathway,  casting 
a sombre  hue  over  every  landscape  and  giving  an  under- 
tone of  sadness  to  all  that  is  left  of  life  to  us;  or  they  may 
come  from  a great  joy  filling  the  soul  and  thrilling  the 
whole  being  with  an  ecstasy  of  gladness  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten; or  from  that  peace  which  flows  into  the  heart  when  we 
are  alone  with  God  enjoying  sweet  communion  with  our 
Creator,  a peace  that  passeth  all  understanding  and  leaves 
an  impress  upon  the  heart  and  soul  that  will  stay  with  us 
even  as  we  enter  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death.  Be  the 
causes  what  they  may,  such  events  occur  and  stand  out 
prominently  in  our  life  experiences.  From  them  we  date 
the  lesser  and  more  commonplace  happenings,  so  that  they 
become  milestones  telling  off  the  journey  of  life.  One  of 
these  events  in  my  own  life  was  a Sabbath  Day’s  journey 
from  Jerusalem  to  Bethany,  stopping  by  the  way  at  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane  and  spending  hours  in  Bible  read- 
ing, meditation  and  prayer  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet. 

525 


526 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


In  this  never-to-be-forgotten  walk  about  the  Holy  City 
my  purpose  was  to  follow,  as  nearly  as  I might,  the  foot- 
steps of  our  Master  on  the  night  of  his  betrayal. 

It  is  now  conceded  by  all  who  have  studied  the  subject 
that  the  supper  recorded  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  St. 
John  was  eaten  at  Jerusalem  the  evening  before  the  day  of 
the  crucifixion.  Tradition,  which  has  been  so  busy  looking 
after  the  holy  places  here,  points  out  the  place  where  this 
important  event  occurred,  but  it  is  without  historic  basis. 
The  traditional  upper  room  is  just  outside  the  Zion  Gate  on 
Zion’s  Hill,  but  as  there  can  be  no  certainty  as  to  its  au- 
thenticity, we  may  leave  it  without  further  notice.  We  do 
know  that  somewhere  in  the  city,  probably  on  Mount  Zion, 
the  Lord  gathered  his  disciples  and  ate  his  last  sad  meal 
with  them.  The  shadow  of  the  cross  was  now  upon  him, 
and  after  the  supper  the  sorrowing  company  threaded  their 
way  through  the  dark  streets  of  the  city.  Emerging  at  one 
of  the  gates  on  the  eastern  side,  they  descended  into  the 
deep  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  crossed  the  Kidron  and  sought 
seclusion  beneath  the  olive  trees  in  the  Garden  of  Geth- 
semane. 

There  is  something  inexpressibly  tender  and  touching 
thrown  about  the  scene  of  that  last  supper.  It  was  the  last 
meeting  between  Master  and  disciples.  It  was  here  that 
the  purpose  of  the  betrayer  wras  made  manifest.  It  was 
here  that  the  last  lessons  were  given  and  the  ordinances  in- 
stituted that  have  come  down  to.  us  from  the  Master.  It 
was  here,  too,  that  the  Lord  showed  his  great  love  for  his 
own  and  taught  the  lesson  of  humility.  “Having  loved  his 
own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the 
end.”*  As  they  were  seated  at  the  table  came  the  crown- 
ing act  of  humility.  The  Son  of  God  “riseth  from  supper,” 


* John  n:  i. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


527 

girds  himself  with  a towel,  pours  water  into  a basin  and 
washes  and  wipes  the  feet  of  his  disciples.  What  wonder- 
ful condescension!  The  objection  of  the  impulsive  Peter 
was  met  in  such  a way  that  his  willingness  carried  him  far 
beyond  what  was  necessary,  “Not  my  feet  only,  but  also 
my  hands  and  my  head.”  After  this  was  given  the  com- 
mand, so  strongly  worded  and  so  often  disregarded,  “If 
I then  your  Lord  and  Master  have  washed  your  feet;  ye 
also  ought  to  wash  one  another’s  feet.  For  I have  given 
you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I have  done  to 
you.”*  And  then  the  promised  reward  for  obedience  was 
also  given:  “If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do 
them.”f 

After  these  things  came  the  touching  farewell  words, 
that  last  address,  and  the  new  commandment  which  the 
Master  gave  his  followers,  making  it  at  the  same  time  the 
supreme  test  of  discipleship:  “A  new  commandment  I give 
unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another;  as  I have  loved  you, 
that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. 
Then  they  sang  a hymn,  the  music  and  sentiment  of  which 
must  have  been  full  of  tender  pathos,  and  went  out,  and  it 
was  night.  The  paschal  moon  was  shining  above  the  brow 
of  Olivet,  casting  dark  shadows  over  hill  and  valley  as  the 
Son  of  God,  with  his  eleven  followers,  threaded  his  way 
through  the  dark,  narrow  streets  of  the  City  of  David.  It 
was  a sad  company.  The  cup  of  sorrow,  which  was  to  be 
drained  to  the  dregs  on  the  morrow,  was  already  pressed  to 
the  lips  of  our  dear  Savior.  Silently  they  passed  through 
the  city  and  then,  going  down  the  steep  hillside,  they  came 


* John  13:  14,  15. 
t John  13: 17. 
John  13:  34.  35. 


528 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


to  the  flowing  brook  of  Kidron.  Here  it  was  that  he  to>.d 
his  disciples  that  the  Shepherd  should  be  smitten  and  the 
sheep  scattered,  and  Peter  vehemently  protested  that  he 
would  not  deny  him  in  any  wise,  even  if  he  should  die  with 
him.  Then  they  crossed  over  the  brook,  walked  up  the 
slope  of  Olivet  and  entered  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 

There  are  times  in  our  lives  when  we  love  to  be  alone, 
when  the  presence  of  our  dearest  friends  is  not  desired. 
At  such  times  it  is  pleasant  to  wander  away  from  the  busy 
throng  to  some  quiet  place,  where  the  solitude  is  unbroken, 
and  spend  the  hours  in  meditation  and  prayer,  holding 
sweet  communion  in  spirit  with  God.  So  I felt  when  I 
started  out  from  our  hotel  to  spend  the  Lord’s  Day  on  Oli- 
vet and  at  Bethany.  The  Elder  also  desired  to  spend  the 
day  alone,  and  so  each  of  us  went  his  way. 

At  the  door  our  beggars  are  met,  and  each  goes  his 
way  with  a loaf  of  bread.  Then  I walk  down  to  the  de- 
scent of  the  valley  of  Kidron,  and  here  I know  I am  not  far 
from  the  path  trod  by  the  Savior.  It  may  be,  indeed  it  is 
altogether  likely,  that  he  went  down  into  the  valley  by  this 
very  pathway.  How  the  very  thought  stirs  the  heart  with 
emotions  too  deep  and  sacred  for  utterance! 

Just  at  this  point  outside  the  city  wall,  a short  distance 
from  St.  Stephen’s  Gate,  the  original  of  the  annexed  photo- 
gravure was  taken.  It  presents  a beautiful  view  of  the 
Mount  of  Olives  as  it  appears  to-day.  In  the  foreground  it 
will  be  observed  that  the  road,  after  crossing  Kidron,  pass- 
es between  two  walls,  and  farther  on  it  forks.  The  enclo- 
sure at  the  right  is  known  as  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  and 
is  to  be  distinguished  by  the  tall,  pointed  cypress  trees 
growing  within  the  wall.  The  other  trees  we  see  growing 
in  the  garden  and  elsewhere  on  the  mountain  are  olives. 
Many  of  them  show  extreme  age  and  have  stood  on  the 


Mount  of  Olives  from  the  Golden  Gate. 


\ 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


53 


slopes  of  the  hill  for  many  centuries.  Above  the  garden 
and  farther  to  the  right  is  the  new  Greek  church,  the  top  of 
which  is  seen  in  the  foreground  of  the  photogravure  of 
Jerusalem  on  page  529.  To  the  right  and  rear  of  the 
church  is  the  Jewish  cemetery.  The  top  of  the  mountain, 
it  will  be  observed,  is  covered  with  olive  trees.  This  is 
the  traditional  place  from  which  Christ  ascended,  and  is 
marked  by  a Greek  church  and  modern  mosque.  The  Greek 
church  with  the  tall  spire,  to  the  left,  was  completed  only 
a few  years  ago,  and  is  a beautiful  structure  built  of  cut 
stone.  The  other  has  stood  on  the  summit  of  Olivet  for 
many  centuries,  and  Christians  may  worship  in  it.  Three 
roads  or  pathways  lead  over  the  mountain.  The  one  to  the 
left  goes  up  to  the  northern  height  of  Mount  Olivet.  The 
one  in  the  center  leads  to  the  summit  and  to  the  traditional 
site  of  the  ascension.  It  was  doubtless  by  this  pathway 
that  David  went  up  when  he  fled  from  his  rebellious  son 
Absalom.  The  other  will  be  observed  at  the  foot  of  the 
wall  of  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  It  passes  over  the 
southern  slope  of  the  mountain  and  leads  to  Bethany,  Jeri- 
cho, the  Dead  Sea  and  the  fords  of  the  Jordan. 

Continuing  my  walk,  I go  down  the  path  and  enter  the 
roadway  leading  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  A stone 
bridge  has  been  thrown  across  the  now  dry  bed  of  the 
brook  of  Kidron,  and  the  road  has  been  broadened  and  im- 
proved until  it  has  become  an  excellent  highway  for  wag- 
ons and  carriages.  Sitting  by  the  wayside  just  beyond  the 
bridge  were  a number  of  poor,  unfortunate  human  beings 
afflicted  with  the  terrible  disease  of  leprosy.  They  begged 
alms  of  the  passers-by.  One  of  them,  a poor  woman  with 
face  and  arms  covered  with  scales  and  disfigured  by  the 
loathsome  disease,  came  toward  me  begging  piteously  for 
help.  Her  voice  was  harsh  and  cracked,  but  her  plea  was 


532 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


heart-touching,  “Muskeen,  Leprous.  Backsheesh,  Howad- 
jii, — I am  a poor  leper,  give  me  alms,  0 pilgrim.”  The  be- 
stowal of  a small  coin  turned  the  piteous  appeal  into  grate- 
ful thanks  which  doubtless  came  from  the  heart  of  the  poor 
unfortunate.  But  the  pitiful  cry  of  the  poor  woman,  Lep- 
rous! Leprous!  sounded  in  my  ears  long  after  I had  left  her 
behind. 

Then  I thought  of  the  time  when,  long  centuries  ago, 
the  dear  Lord  trod  this  same  pathway  and  with  a heart  full 
of  love  for  suffering  humanity  healed  the  lepers,  restored 
sight  to  the  blind  and  raised  the  dead.  I thought  of  the 
poor  fellow,  stricken  with  the  terrible  disease,  who  asked 
the  Master  not  for  alms  but  for  a gift  that  only  divine  pow- 
er could  bestow.  How  trembling  between  hope  and  fear  he 
said,  “Lord,  if  thou  wilt  thou  canst  make  me  clean.” 
What  faith  the  leper  must  have  had  in  the  power  of  the 
young  prophet  of  Nazareth  to  heal  him  and  cleanse  him  of 
the  terrible  malady  that  had  fastened  itself  upon  him! 
“Thou  canst  make  me  clean”  was  the  expression  of  faith 
and  hope  which  came  with  impassioned  cry  from  the  very 
soul  of  the  leper.  The  Lord  turned  to  the  poor  fellow. 
His  compassionate  heart  was  touched.  He  put  forth  his 
hand  and  touched  him  and  uttered  these  words  which  must 
have  thrilled  every  nerve  of  the  suppliant,  “I  will,  be  thou 
clean.”* 

“And  lo!  the  scales  fell  from  him,  and  his  blood 
Coursed  with  delicious  coolness  through  his  veins, 

And  his  dry  palms  grew  moist,  and  on  his  brow 
The  dewy  softness  of  an  infant  stole. 

His  leprosy  was  cleansed;  and  he  fell  down 
Prostrate  at  Jesus’  feet,  and  worshiped  him. 

Continuing  my  walk  I pass  by  the  Garden  of  Gethsem- 
ane,  the  scene  of  Christ’s  great  agony,  and  climb  the  steep 


* Matt.  8:  2-4. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


5-5  o 
JO 

hillside,  taking  the  middle  pathway  to  where  the  new  Greek 
church  stands.  An  accommodating  attendant  opens  the 
door  and  a hurried  glance  is  taken  at  the  interior.  But  this 
is  not  a day  for  visiting  churches,  and  the  custodian  seems 
surprised  at  the  lack  of  interest  shown  in  the  really  tasty 
and  beautiful  building.  Beyond  the  church  on  the  steep 
hillside  a secluded  spot  is  found  and  here,  beneath  the 
spreading  branches  of  an  ancient  olive  tree,  I sit  down  and 
/ead  from  my  Bible  many  of  the  wonderful  events  which 
occurred  within  sight  of  my  resting-place. 

The  day  is  wonderfully  bright  and  clear.  The  sun 
shines  from  an  unclouded  sky,  and  the  dense  shade  of  the 
olive  tree  is  a grateful  protection  from  his  rays.  The  air 
borne  across  the  king’s  dale  from  the  hills  of  the  Holy  City 
is  soft  and  balmy.  The  singular  clearness  of  the  atmos- 
phere brings  distant  objects  very  close.  It  is  just  such  a 
Lord’s  Day  as  I long  had  hoped  I might  have  to  spend 
alone  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Sitting  here,  how  the  events 
and  the  sacred  associations  of  the  past  come  crowding 
upon  the  mind!  Within  sight  of  this  spot  the  greatest 
events  in  the  history  of  the  world  occurred.  As  I read  and 
meditate  the  present  grows  dim  and  the  spirit  of  the  ages 
gone  comes  upon  me.  Jerusalem  is  spread  out  before  me, 
and  on  the  hill  of  Zion  stands  the  palace  of  King  David. 
It  is  built  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  and  here  the  shepherd 
king  dwells  in  regal  splendor.  But  he  is  not  a happy  man. 
In  days  long  since  gone  he  sowed  the  seed,  and  now  he  is 
reaping  the  harvest.  I see  an  old  man,  bent  with  age  but 
still  a king  in  appearance,  coming  out  of  the  city  surround- 
ed by  a few  faithful  followers.  They  descend  the  hillside, 
cross  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  climb  up  the  steep 
side  of  Olivet  by  the  very  path  where  I am  sitting.  As 
they  come  nearer  I notice  that  the  old  man  is  barefoot,  and 


534 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


his  feet  are  bruised  and  torn  by  the  rough  stones  in  nis 
pathway,  that  his  head  is  covered  with  sackcloth,  and  that 
the  whole  company  is  weeping.  It  is  King  David  in  his 
old  age,  and  he  is  fleeing  from  his  rebellious  son  Absalom. 
“And  David  went  up  by  the  ascent  of  mount  Olivet,  and 
wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head  covered,  and  he  went 
barefoot:  and  all  the  people  that  was  with  him  covered  ev- 
ery man  his  head,  and  they  went  up,  weeping  as  they 
went.”*  The  sad,  sorrowing  company,  with  the  barefoot, 
broken-hearted  father  and  king  im  their  midst,  continue 
their  journey.  Reaching  the  summit  of  the  mountain  they 
pass  over  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  are  lost  to  sight. 

Time  in  its  ceaseless  flight  rolls  on  and  King  David  is 
dead  and  has  been  laid  in  the  tomb  of  his  fathers,  and  his 
wise  son  Solomon  reigns  in  his  stead.  Yonder  on  Mount 
Moriah,  which  seems  but  a stone’s  throw  from  me,  there  is 
the  excitement  and  bustle  of  thousands  of  men  at  work. 
The  mountain  is  being  encased  with  great  heavy  walls. 
The  stonecutters  and  hewers  who  are  hid  away  in  the 
bowels  of  the  mountain  are  cutting  and  squaring  the  great 
blocks  that  are  to  be  placed  in  the  foundation  wall.  For 
the  king  has  commanded  that  great,  costly,  hewed  stones 
shall  be  brought  wherewith  to  lay  the  foundation.f  And 
the  seventy  thousand  burden  bearers  bring  the  huge  blocks 
of  cut  stones  from  the  quarries,  and  they  are  placed  in  the 
walls  by  “Solomon’s  builders  and  Hiram’s  builders.”  The 
walls  are  carried  up  nearly  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  the  inner  space  is  filled  up  and  made  level.  And 
now  on  top  of  the  platform  around  about  the  very  summit 
of  Moriah  the  workmen  lay  the  foundations  of  the  temple. 
The  structure  rises  and  at  last  the  most  magnificent  build- 


* 2 Sam.  15: 30. 
t 1 Kings  5:  17. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


535 


ing  the  world  has  known  rises  before  me.  The  temple  is 
completed  and  there  is  great  rejoicing  in  the  city.  The 
roads  and  paths  converging  at  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  are 
alive  with  people.  Israel  is  coming  up  to  the  dedication  of 
the  temple.  It  is  a great  holiday  over  all  the  land,  a day  of 
gladness  and  rejoicing.  And  now  on  the  temple  platform 
are  gathered  together  with  King  Solomon  the  “elders  of 
Israel,”  the  “heads  of  the  tribes,  the  chiefs  of  the  fathers” 
of  the  sons  of  Jacob.  They  have  in  their  midst  the  ark  of 
the  covenant  and  all  the  holy  vessels  pertaining  to  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  These  they  place  in  the  holy  and  most 
holy  places  in  the  temple.  At  last  the  ark  of  God  has 
found  a resting-place;  and  now  behold  the  cloud  of  glory 
coming  down  from  heaven  and  resting  upon  and  filling  the 
temple.  It  is  the  Shekinah  of  God,  the  evidence  of  his 
presence  with  his  people  Israel.  Then  the  Wise  King 
kneels  down  in  the  presence  of  the  mighty  congregation 
that  covers  the  hills  and  valleys  around  about  the  holy 
mountain  and  spreads  forth  his  hands  toward  heaven  and 
offers  up  his  prayer  to  the  God  of  his  fathers.  Sitting  here 
one  could  hear  his  fervent  words,  “Lord  God  of  Israel, 
there  is  no  God  like  thee,  in  heaven  above,  or  on  earth  be- 
neath, who  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy  with  thy  servants 
that  walk  before  thee  with  all  their  heart.  . . . But  will 

God  indeed  dwell  on  the  earth?  behold,  the  heaven  and 
heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain  thee;  how  much  less  this 
house  that  I have  builded.”* 

Another  step  forward  and  the  sound  of  prayer  and  re- 
joicing gives  place  to  the  din  of  battle.  Centuries  have 
rolled  away,  the  Wise  King  is  dead,  and  his  sayings  have 
been  gathered  up  and  placed  among  the  sacred  books. 
The  city  with  its  beautiful  temple  is  surrounded  by  a hos- 


* i Kings  8:  23,  27. 


536 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


tile  foe.  The  dreaded  Assyrian  has  come  “down  like  a 
wolf  on  the  fold,”  the  walls  of  the  city  are  broken  down, 
the  cries  of  the  vanquished  and  dying  are  mingled  with  the 
shouts  of  the  victors.  The  streets  of  Jerusalem  are  dyed 
with  blood,  the  magnificent  temple  is  destroyed,  the  Holy 
of  holies  is  rifled  and  the  vessels  of  gold,  sacred  to  the  serv- 
ice of  the  most  high  God,  are  borne  away.  Judah  is  car- 
ried into  captivity  to  far-away  Babylon.  The  glory  of  the 
City  of  David  is  departed;  as  a widow  bereft  of  her  children 
she  weeps  in  her  great  desolation.  And  why?  Because 
her  children  did  not  walk  before  God  with  a full  heart  to 
obey  his  commandments. 

Again  the  years  roll  on  and  a returning  band  of  hope, 
who  have  not  forgotten  Jerusalem  in  their  captivity,  come 
back  from  the  rivers  of  Babylon  and  commence  the  work  of 
restoring  the  waste  places  of  Zion.  The  walls  grow  under 
their  hands,  notwithstanding  the  taunts  of  their  enemies. 
They  work  and  pray  with  swords  girded  about  them  to  re- 
pel the  attacks  of  the  scorners,  and  at  last,  after  years  of 
labor,  the  sound  of  rejoicing  is  again  heard  on  Moriah  and 
Zion.  The  walls  are  restored,  the  temple  rebuilt,  and  a sol- 
emn dedication  service  is  held  unto  the  Lord. 

Another  flight  of  centuries  with  their  hush  of  silence  is 
noted  by  the  recording  angels,  and  along  yonder  pathway, 
just  at  my  feet,  comes  a procession  from  the  little  town  of 
Bethany,  the  home  of  Lazarus,  Martha  and  Mary,  and,  be- 
hold, a greater  than  David  or  Solomon  is  here.  “Tell  ye 
the  daughter  of  Sion,  Behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee, 
meek,  and  sitting  upon  an  ass,  and  a colt  the  foal  of  an 
ass.”*  The  great  multitude  forming  the  procession  covers 
all  the  hillside  and  extends  far  down  into  the  valley.  As 
they  pass  along  they  cast  their  outer  garments  upon  the 


* Matt.  21 : i. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


537 


ground  and  cut  the  branches  from  the  olive  and  palm  trees 
and  strew  them  in  the  way.  The  great  company  join  their 
voices  in  song,  saying,  “Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David: 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometli  in  the  name  of  the  Lord;  Hosan- 
na in  the  highest.”*  In  the  very  midst  of  the  great  shout- 
ing, swaying  multitude,  seated  on  a colt,  is  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  the  King  of  Glory  in 
his  humility,  entering  the  City  of  David;  and  as  he  crosses 
the  brook  of  Kidron  and  ascends  the  hill  to  the  gate  of  the 
city  there  falls  upon  him  a shadow.  It  is  the  shadow  of 
the  cross. 

And  now  a few  more  days  have  gone  and  a little  com- 
pany, twelve  in  number,  emerge  from  the  eastern  wall  of 
the  city,  towering  yonder  on  Moriah,  and  coming  down  the 
slope  of  the  hill  they  cross  the  stream  and  enter  the  Garden 
of  Gethsemane,  lying  here  almost  at  my  feet.  Can  it  be 
possible,  I ask  myself,  that  this  is  the  place  to  which  the 
Master  led  his  sorrowing  disciples?  Is  this  the  spot  where 
he  knelt  in  su<  h great  agony  and  prayed  until  his  sweat  be- 
came great  dr<\  s of  blood?  Whether  this  enclosure  be  the 
true  garden  where  the  struggle  took  place  cannot  be  deter- 
mined, but  I do  know  that  it  was  very  near  this  spot  that 
the  prayer  of  agony  was  offered.  “The  general  position  of 
Gethsemane  is  clear;  and  then,  as  now,  the  gray  leaves,  the 
dark-brown  trunks,  the  soft,  green  sward,  the  ravine  with 
Olivet  towering  over  it  to  the  eastward  and  Jerusalem  to 
the  west,  must  have  been  the  main  external  features  of  a 
place  which  must  be  regarded  with  undying  interest  while 
time  shall  be,  as  the  place  where  the  Savior  of  the  world 
entered  alone  into  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow. ”f  Looking 
down  into  and  across  the  deep  valley  I can  see  the  path 

* Matt.  21: 9. 

t Canon  Farrar’s  “ Life  of  Christ.” 


538 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


way  down  which  he  came  with  the  eleven.  There  they 
crossed  the  brook  of  Kidron  and  slowly  ascending  the  hill- 
side came  to  Gethsemane.  Here  he  uttered  these  sad 
words,  “My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even  unto  death: 
tarry  ye  here,  and  watch  with  me.”*  And  then  he  retired 
from  them  about  a stone’s  cast  and  there  he  fell  on  the 
ground  and  prayed  that  the  cup  might  pass  from  him, 
“And  being  in  agony  he  prayed  more  earnestly:  and  his 
sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to 
the  ground. ”f 

He  left  them  near  and  went  a little  on, 

And  in  the  depth  of  that  hushed  silentness, 

Alone  with  God,  he  fell  upon  his  face, 

And  as  his  heart  was  broken  with  the  rush 
Of  his  surpassing'  agony,  and  death, 

Wrung  to  him  from  a dying  universe, 

Was  mightier  than  the  Son  of  Man  could  bear, 

He  gave  his  sorrows  way — and  in  the  deep 
Prostration  of  his  soul  breathed  out  the  prayer 
“ Father,  if  it  be  possible  with  thee, 

Let  this  cup  pass  from  me.”  Oh,  how  a word, 

Like  the  forced  drop  before  the  fountain  breaks, 

Stilleth  the  press  of  human  agony! 

The  Savior  felt  its  quiet  in  his  soul; 

And  though  his  strength  was  weakness,  and  the  light 
Which  led  him  on  till  now  was  sorely  dim, 

He  breathed  a new  submission — “ Not  my  will 
But  thine  be  done,  O Father!  ” As  he  spoke, 

Voices  were  heard  in  heaven,  and  music  stole 
Out  from  the  chambers  of  the  vaulted  sky, 

As  if  the  stars  were  swept  like  instruments. 

No  cloud  was  visible,  but  radiant  wings 
Were  coming  with  a silvery  rush  to  earth, 

And  as  the  Savior  rose,  a glorious  one 
With  illumined  forehead,  and  the  light 
Whose  fountain  is  the  mystery  of  God 
Encalmed  within  his  eye,  bowed  down  to  him, 


* Matt.  26:  38. 
f Luke  22:  44. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  539 

And  nerved  him  with  a ministry  of  strength. 

It  was  enough — and  with  his  godlike  brow 
Re-written  of  his  Father’s  messenger, 

With  meekness,  whose  divinity  is  more 
Than  power  and  glory,  he  returned  again 
To  his  disciples,  and  awaked  their  sleep.* 

And  now  the  hour  has  come  when  the  power  of  the 
world  is  to  prevail.  Even  while  he  speaks  the  words  that 
awake  his  slumbering  disciples,  the  sound  of  tramping  feet 
and  clashing  swords  is  heard,  and  the  flashing  of  torches  in 
the  darkness  is  seen  in  the  garden.  The  betrayer  kisses 
the  Master  who  is  then  taken  and  led  away.  The  shadow 
of  the  cross  grows  darker  and  deeper  as  it  falls  upon  him 
now.  Only  a few  more  hours  shall  pass  and  the  terrible  or- 
deal of  the  crucifixion  will  come.  They  lead  him  away 
from  the  garden,  the  brook  of  Kidron  is  crossed  again,  and 
very  soon  the  multitude  with  their  lonely  prisoner  disap- 
pear from  sight. 

How  real  this  all  seems  to  me  as  I sit  here  beneath  the 
olive  tree  within  a stone’s  cast  of  where  it  all  occurred,  and 
how  close  it  comes  to  me  as  I read  over  and  over  again  the 
old  pathetic  story  from  the  New  Testament.  Who  could 
read  the  story  of  suffering  and  anguish  without  sympathy? 
The  coldest  heart  would  be  touched  and  melted.  In  this 
life  we  all  have  emotions  and  feelings  which  we  fail  to  find 
words  to  express.  And  so  to-day,  as  I sit  here  and  read 
and  meditate  and  pray,  my  soul  is  stirred  with  emotions 
too  strong  for  feeble  words.  With  them  comes  the 
thought  that  Jesus  bore  all  this  for  me.  Yes,  for  me  he 
bore  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  cross.  And  what  am  I 
that  such  a price  should  be  paid  for  me?  A sinner,  saved 
only  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  Oh  the  peace  that  comes  into 
the  soul  that  has  been  washed  in  that  fountain  which 


* Willis. 


540 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


flowed  from  Calvary!  And  what  am  I doing  for  him  who 
died  for  me? 

“Must  Jesus  bear  the  cross  alone, 

And  all  the  world  go  free? 

No;  there’s  a cross  for  every  one 
And  there’s  a cross  for  me.” 

God  help  me!  God  help  us  all  to  bear  our  cross,  fol- 
lowing all  the  way  the  Master  trod  in  weariness  and  pain, 
even  if  that  way  leads  to  the  place  of  crucifixion.  For  this 
we  do  know,  if  we  bear  the  cross  we  shall  also  wear  the 
crown.  And  if  we  walk  in  his  ways  he  has  promised  to  be 
with  us  alway,  even  unto  the  end.  As  we  bear  his  cross 
may  he  be  with  us.  Here  on  the  slope  of  Olivet,  sur- 
rounded by  these  sacred  and  hallowed  associations,  I make 
this  my  prayer: 

Abide  with  me!  Fast  falls  the  eventide; 

The  darkness  deepens;  Lord,  with  me  abide! 

When  other  helpers  fail  and  comforts  flee, 

Help  of  the  helpless!  oh  abide  with  me. 

Swift  to  its  close  ebbs  out  life’s  little  day; 

Earth’s  joys  grow  dim;  its  glories  pass  away; 

Change  and  decay  in  all  around  I see; 

Oh  thou  who  changest  not,  abide  with  me. 

I need  thy  presence  every  passing  hour; 

What  but  thy  grace  can  foil  the  tempter’s  power? 

Who  like  thyself  my  guide  and  stay  can  be? 

Through  cloud  and  sunshine,  oh  abide  with  me. 

I fear  no  foe  with  thee  at  hand  to  bless; 

Ills  have  no  weight,  and  tears  no  bitterness; 

Where  is  death’s  sting?  Where,  grave,  thy  victory? 

I triumph  still,  if  thou  abide  with  me. 

Hold  thou  thy  cross  before  my  closing  eyes, 

Shine  through  the  gloom  and  point  me  to  the  skies; 

Heaven’s  morning  breaks  and  earth’s  vain  shadows  flee; 

In  life,  in  death,  O Lord!,  abide  with  me. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


O Jerusalem,  Jerusalem."  — The  Desolation  of  Palestine.— A View 
from  the  Top  of  Olivet. — The  Bright  Arab  Boy. — The  Olives. -- 
Bethany The  Death  and  Resurrection  of  Lazarus. — A Cloud  not 
Larger  than  a Man  s Hand. 


NE  might  sit  here  in  this  quiet,  shady  nook  on  the 
side  of  Olivet,  the  most  noted  mountain  in  the 
world,  and  write  volumes  touching  the  Biblical  al- 


lusions to  places  within  sight,  and  yet  utterly  fail  to  ex- 
haust the  subject,  for  yonder  city  and  these  hills  and 
valleys  have  played  an  important  part  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  But  it  is  not  my  present  purpose  to  allude  further 
to  these  interesting  events,  unless  it  be  to  give  one  more  il- 
lustration of  this  character  and  then  continue  my  Sabbath 
Day’s  journey  to  Bethany.  The  incident  is  suggested  by 
the  magnificent  view  to  be  had  of  the  Holy  City  from  the 
spot  where  I sit. 

Jerusalem  can  be  seen  at  its  very  best  from  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  and  I can  very  well  believe  that  it  may  have 
been  from  a point  of  view  like  this  that  Jesus,  coming  out 
from  the  temple,  uttered  those  memorable  and  most  pa- 
thetic words  concerning  his  love  for  the  city  and  the  terri- 
ble fate  in  store  for  it. 

He  had  been  telling  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  that 
their  profession  was  empty,  hollow  mockery,  that  their 
worship  was  at  best  a lip  service,  while  their  hearts  were 
far  from  God,  and  that  they  were  hypocrites  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  beautiful  to  look  upon  but  inwardly  full 


542 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


of  corruption  and  dead  men’s  bones.  How  his  words  must 
have  stung  them  to  the  heart,  and  how  they  must  have 
hated  him  who  thus  held  them  up  as  they  were.  After  set- 
ting them  forth  in  their  true  light,  in  strong  and  scathing 
language,  the  strongest  he  used  in  his  ministry,  he  looked 
out  upon  Jerusalem,  his  own  city,  and  his  compassionate 
heart  was  full  of  pity.  As  he  beheld  the  place  the  veil 
which  hides  the  future  was  turned  aside,  anG  as  he  saw  the 
terrible  fate  in  store  for  Zion,  who  will  doubt  that  the  Mas- 
ter wept?  Then  came  the  touching,  tender  words  showing 
how  his  heart  yearned  toward  those  who  had  already 
rejected  him  and  were  plotting  to  put  him  to  death:  “O  Je- 
rusalem, Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  ston- 
est  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I have 
gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not!  Behold,  your 
house  is  left  unto  you  desolate.  For  I say  unto  you,  Ye 
shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.”*  And  how  literally 
have  these  prophetic  words  uttered  in  deep  sorrow  by  the 
Master  been  fulfilled!  “Your  house  shall  be  left  unto  you 
desolate.”  Desolation  has  fallen  upon  the  City  of  David. 
On  Mount  Moriah,  where  stood  in  all  its  splendor  the  great 
temple,  now  stands  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  a building  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  the  false  prophet,  and  we  only  need 
walk  down  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city  to  the 
jews’  wailing  place  to  see  a practical  illustration  of  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  prophetic  words  of  the  Lord. 

‘ For  the  palace  that  lies  desolate,  we 
Sit  in  solitude  and  mourn.” 

Well  may  the  descendants  of  those  who  rejected  and 
crucified  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  sit  in  solitude  and  weep 


* Matt.  23:  37-39. 


Tower  of  the  New  Greek  Church  on  the  Top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
Marking  the  Supposed  Site  of  the  Ascension. 


' »> 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


545 


and  mourn  over  the  desolation  of  palace  and  temple,  “How 
doth  the  city  sit  solitary,  that  was  full  of  people!  how  is 
she  become  as  a widow!  she  that  was  great  among  the  na- 
tions, and  princess  among  the  provinces,  how  is  she  be- 
come tributary!”*  The  crown  of  glory  has  been  taken 
away  from  Jerusalem  and  who  shall  restore  her  greatness? 

“ The  desolation  of  nations!  there  she  stands 

Childless  andcrownlessin  her  voiceless  woe.” 

But  not  only  is  Jerusalem  desolate,  but  all  the  Land  of 
Palestine  has  shared  her  fate.  From  Dan  to  Beersheba, 
from  the  “great  sea’’  to  the  Jordan,  and  beyond,  desolation 
tells  the  story.  These  words  are  written  about  the  site  of 
every  city,  across  every  hillside  and  valley  and  by  the  side 
of  river  and  sea,  “Behold,  your  land  is  left  unto  you  des- 
olate.” 

Ascending  the  slope  of  Olivet  still  farther,  we  have  be- 
fore us  the  Greek  church  and  the  mosque  surrounded  by 
groves  of  olive  trees.  These  buildings  mark  the  tradi- 
tional spot  of  the  ascension.  The  New  Testament  refers  to 
the  place  in  a general  way,  leaving  the  spot  from  which  our 
Lord  ascended  uncertain.f  And  this  is  well.  If  the  exact 
spot  where  the  great  events  in  the  life  of  Christ  took  place 
had  been  authoritatively  pointed  out,  they  would  have  be- 
come places  of  too  sacred  importance  to  men.  The  record 
is  wisely  silent  on  these  things. 

Our  photogravure  gives  a beautiful  view  of  the  top  of 
Olivet.  In  the  foreground  are  two  very  old  olive  trees,  and 
those  of  our  readers  who  have  not  seen  trees  of  this  kind 
will  be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  their  shape  and  growth.  To 
the  right  is  the  dome  of  a building,  once  a Christian  church 
but  now  in  possession  of  the  Moslems,  while  to  the  left  is 


* Lam.  r.  i. 

f Luke  24:  S2;  Acts  1:  9-12. 


546 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


seen  the  tower  of  the  new  Greek  church  recently  con- 
structed at  this  place.  From  the  upper  windows  of  the 
tower  one  has  the  finest  and,  without  doubt,  the  most  inter- 
esting view  in  Palestine. 

Climbing  to  the  top  of  the  tower  and  looking  eastward 
over  the  hills  down  into  a deep  depression,  the  valley  of 
the  Jordan  seems  to  be  almost  at  my  feet.  The  clear, 
transparent  atmosphere  is  nowhere  else  so  deceptive.  The 
course  of  the  river,  winding  its  way  downward  until  it  is 
lost  forever  in  the  mysterious  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  is 
fully  in  view.  The  blue  waters  of  the  sea  seem  but  a few 
miles  away,  and  yet  it  is  some  fifteen  miles  in  a straight 
line  to  its  shore.  In  that  distance  the  hills  sink  away  from 
where  I am  standing,  so  that  the  Dead  Sea  is  three  thou- 
sand, nine  hundred  feet  below  the  top  of  the  Mount  of  Ol- 
ives. Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  I had  ridden  down  to 
Jericho,  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  and  the  sea,  spending 
seven  hours  in  the  saddle  and  passing  over  barren  hills  and 
through  many  deep-cut  ravines,  I could  scarcely  believe 
that  it  is  so  far  away.  Beyond  the  valley  of  the  Jordan 
rise  the  mountains  of  Moab,  once  the  possession  of  the. 
tribe  of  Reuben;  and  it  is  among  these  hills  that  we  must 
look  for  Mount  Pisgah  where  Moses  stood  when  he  looked 
over  into  the  land  which  he  was  not  permitted  to  enter,  and 
Mount  Ncbo  where  the  great  lawgiver  died.  On  a small 
eminence  to  the  south  of  this  range  is  Kerak.  Here  it  was, 
when  his  capital  was  besieged  by  the  Israelites,  that  King 
Mesha  offered  up  on  the  walls  of  the  city  to  the  god  Che- 
mosh  his  eldest  son  “who  should  have  reigned  in  his 
stead.’’*  Northward  across  the  Jordan  rises  Gilead  which 
once  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Gad.  Not  far  away  is  the 
jabbok,  where  Jacob  divided  his  flocks  for  fear  of  his 


* 2 Kings  3:  27. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  547 

brother  Esau,  and  Pcniel  where  he  wrestled  with  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  through  the  long  hours  of  the  night. 

Turning  southward  and  westward  the  hills  which  fringe 
the  plain  of  Rephaim  are  before  me.  By  the  roadside 
which  winds  away  towards  Bethlehem  and  Hebron  stands 
the  Monastery  of  St.  Elias,  beyond  which  is  Bethlehem, 
where  Christ  was  born.  The  place  itself  is  scarcely  visible, 
but  the  surrounding  country  is  in  full  view,  and  in  the  val- 
ley yonder  may  have  been  the  fields  wdiere  the  shepherds 
watched  their  flocks  by  night  when  the  choir  of  heaven 
came  down  to  earth  singing,  “ Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men.”*  Directly 
west,  and  at  my  very  feet,  as  it  seems,  is  the  City  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  from  this  high  place  one  can  see  down  into  the 
narrow  streets.  North  from  the  Damascus  Gate  the  rich 
olive  groves  spread  over  the  country  toward  the  long  slope 
of  the  mountain  of  Samuel,  the  home  of  the  prophet,  the 
Mizpeh  of  the  Bible.  “And  Mizpeh;  for  he  said,  The  Lord 
watch  between  me  and  thee,  when  we  are  absent  one  from 
another.”  f Ncbi  Samwil,  as  the  mountain  is  now  called, 
rises  two  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  above 
the  sea  level  and  is  the  highest  elevation  in  southern  Pales- 
tine. It  shuts  off  the  view  to  the  north.  Close  at  hand  is 
the  upper  valley  of  the  Kidron,  bounded  on  the  east  by  Mt. 
Scopus,  where  Titus,  the  Roman  general,  had  his  headquar- 
ters when  he  besieged  and  took  the  city. 

Coming  down  again  from  the  Mount  of  Olives  on  the 
western  side,  I cross  the  Jewish  cemetery  where  the  grave- 
diggers  are  at  work  cutting  shallow  tombs  in  the  stubborn 
rocks,  and  reach  the  road  leading  to  Bethany. 


* Luke  2:  8. 
|Gea.  31:  49, 


548 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Just  before  I left  the  olive  grove  two  Arab  boys  came 
to  me  and,  putting  out  their  hands,  asked  for  backsheesh. 
Instead  of  acceding  to  their  request  I put  out  my  hand 
and  repeated  the  word  well  known  to  them.  Without  a 
moment’s  hesitation  the  older  boy  unslung  the  shepherd’s 
pouch  which  he  carried  on  his  shoulder,  took  out  a small 
loaf  of  dark  bread,  broke  off  a generous  portion,  and 
handed  it  to  me  saying,  Tyab,  “Very  good.”  I took  a 
small  bit  of  the  bread,  ate  it  and  handed  the  boy  the  coin 
which  I felt  that  his  quick  wit  and  generosity  earned  for 
him.  It  was  the  first  and  last  time  I ever  asked  an  Arab 
for  backsheesh. 

And  now  I have  a delightful  walk  to  Bethany.  To  my 
right  and  left  are  the  olive  groves  from  which  the  mountain 
takes  its  name,  and  the  scene  is  one  of  great  beauty.  The 
olive  grows  no  higher  than  the  apple  tree,  and  the  narrow 
leaves  are  a light  green  on  top  with  a tinge  of  white  under- 
neath. I losea  doubtless  had  in  mind  a scene  like  this  when 
he  said  that  when  Israel  was  restored  to  divine  favor  “his 
branches  shall  spread,  and  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive 
tree.”* * * §  Dr.  Geikie  has  given  some  interesting  facts  con- 
cerning the  olive,  from  which  we  glean.  The  olive  was  cul- 
tivated in  Palestine  long  before  the  Hebrews  came  in  to 
possess  the  land,  for  olive  trees  which  they  had  not  planted 
were  among  the  good  things  which  Moses  said  they  should 
enjoy ,f  In  ancient  times  the  country  was  dotted  every- 
where with  olive  groves.  “Thou  shalt  have  olive  trees,” 
says  Moses,  “ through  all  thy  coasts. Joel  promised  that, 
if  the  people  turned  to  their  God,  “ the  fats  should  over- 
flow with  oil.”§  The  olive  harvest  was  as  important  to  the 

* Hosea  14: 6. 

t Deut.  6:  11. 

t Deut.  28:  40. 

§ Joel  2:  24. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  549 

Hebrew  fanner  as  that  of  the  vine  or  of  corn,  the  three 
being  often  mentioned  together  as  the  great  staples  of  na- 
tional prosperity.*  It  was  so  important  in  the  royal  reve- 
nues that  King  David  appointed  officers  over  stores  of  oil 
and  his  olive  woods.  More  was  raised  than  could  be  used 
for  home  consumption,  and  it  was  exported  to  Egypt  and 
Phoenicia. 

The  olive  tree  is  propagated  from  shoots  or  cuttings, 
which,  after  they  have  taken  root,  are  grafted,  since  other- 
wise they  would  grow  up  “wild  olives”  and  bear  inferior 
fruit.  Sometimes,  however,  a “good  olive”  from  some 
cause  ceases  to  bear,  and  in  this  case  a shoot  of  the  wild 
olive — that  is,  one  of  the  shoots  from  those  which  spring 
up  round  the  trunk — is  grafted  into  the  barren  tree,  with 
the  result  that  the  sap  of  the  good  olive  turns  this  wild 
shoot  into  a good  branch,  bearing  fruit  such  as  the  parent 
stem  should  have  borne.  It  is  to  this  practice  that  Paul  al- 
ludes when  he  says  of  the  Gentiles,  “ If  some  of  the 
branches  were  broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a wild  olive,  wast 
grafted  in  among  them,  and  didst  become  partaker  with 
them  of  the  root  of  the  fatness  of  the  olive  tree.”f  And 
further,  “If  thou  wast  cut  out  of  that  which  is  by  nature  a 
wild  olive  tree,  and  wast  grafted  contrary  to  nature  into  a 
good  olive  tree:  how  much  more  shall  these,  which  are  the 
natural  branches,  be  grafted  into  their  own  olive  tree?”J 
Here  reference  is  made  to  the  Jews  as  God’s  chosen  olive 
tree  and  the  grafting  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  good  olive 
tree.  Hitherto  they  were  wild  olives,  but  by  grafting  they 
are  made  to  yield  fruit,  but  only  from  the  sap  and  fatness 
of  the  old  stem.  The  “olive  tree  wild  by  nature  ” can  only 

* Deut.  28:  40;  7: 13;  11: 14;  12: 17;  Joel  j:  10;  I Chron.  27:  28;  2 Chron.  32:  28. 

t Rom.  11:17  (R.  V.). 

t Rom.  11:  24  (R,  V.). 


550 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


mean  the  shoots  that  spring  up  wild  and  worthless  from  the 
roots  of  the  old  tree.  Apart  from  these  there  are  no  wild 
olives. 

The  olive  tree  is  long  lived.  It  bears  no  fruit  for  ten 
years,  and  a half  century  elapses  before  it  comes  to  full 
bearing.  Some  of  these  on  the  slopes  of  Olivet  are  more 
than  a thousand  years  old.  The  olive  harvest  takes  place 
in  October.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size  of  the  small  damson 
plum,  being  oval  in  shape  and  dark  green  in  color.  The 
gathering  is  done  by  women  and  boys,  who  climb  into  the 
trees  and  shake  them  or  stand  beneath  and  beat  the 
branches  with  long  poles.  But  the  olives  are  not  all  taken, 
and  the  poor  olive  gleaner  may  still  be  seen  every  year 
gathering  what  he  can  after  the  trees  have  been  stripped  by 
their  owners.  One  seems  to  live  in  the  days  of  Moses 
when  it  was  said,  “When  thou  beatest  thine  olive  tree,  thou 
shalt  not  go  over  the  boughs  again;  it  shall  be  for  the  stran- 
ger, for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widow.’’*  Isaiah  also 
refers  to  the  same  custom:  “As  the  shaking  of  an  olive 
tree,  two  or  three  berries  in  the  top  of  the  uppermost  bough, 
four  or  five  in  the  outmost  fruitful  branches  thereof.”f 

The  harvest  time  of  the  olives  is  a season  of  gladness. 
Some  of  the  fruit  falls  before  the  crop  is  fully  ripe,  but 
this  must  lie  there  until  a proclamation  is  made  by  the 
governor  that  the  trees  shall  be  picked.  This  is  done  so 
that  the  taxgatherer  may  be  on  hand  to  exact  his  share, 
and  this  tax  is  so  heavy  that  it  discourages  the  increase  of 
olive  orchards. 

The  olive  is  prepared  for  food  by  pickling,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  crop  is  made  into  oil.  In  ancient  times 
the  gathered  olives  were  either  pressed  or  trodden  by  the 


* Deut.  24:  20. 
t Isa.  17:6. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


551 


feet  in  an  olive  vat.  The  finest  oil,  however,  was  that 
which  flowed  from  the  berries  when  merely  beaten,  not 
from  those  that  were  pressed;  and  it  was  the  beaten  oil  that 
was  used  for  religious  purposes.  “Thou  shalt  command 
the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  bring  thee  pure  oil  olive 
beaten  for  the  light.”*  The  oil  vats  were  hewn  in  the 
rocks  and  they  are  still  found  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. A vat  of  this  kind  found  near  the  foot  of  Olivet  gave 
its  name  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  Along  with  the 
vats  in  which  the  fruit  was  trodden  presses  and  mills  were 
used  after  a time.  The  oil  was  so  imperfectly  separated 
by  the  feet  that  that  custom  is  now  discontinued. 

Without  cultivation  the  olive  soon  ceases  to  yield; 
hence  the  soil  underneath  it  is  plowed  every  spring,  or  of- 
tener,  so  as  to  admit  the  air  to  the  roots.  No  crop  is  raised 
as  under  other  fruit  trees.  The  earth  is  also  drawn  around 
the  tree  to  keep  it  moist,  but  neither  manuring  nor  pruning 
is  practiced.  It  yields  a full  crop  only  every  second 
year. 

At  the  present  time  the  mills  used  in  obtaining  the  oil 
are  of  two  kinds;  the  one,  worked  by  hand,  consisting  of  a 
heavy  stone  wheel,  which  is  rolled  over  the  berries  thrown 
into  a stone  basin.  When  crushed,  they  are  taken  out  as 
pulp  and  put  into  straw  baskets,  which  are  then  placed  in  a 
screw  press  and  squeezed.  The  oil  thus  obtained  is  of  ex- 
cellent quality,  though  inferior  to  the  beaten;  but  a third 
quality  is  obtained  by  subjecting  the  already  pressed  pulp 
to  a second  squeezing.  The  other  mill  is  a hollow  cylin- 
der, with  iron  rods  projecting  at  the  lower  end.  It  stands 
upright,  and  turns  on  a round  framework  of  stone,  the  iron 
rods  beating  the  olives  to  pulp  as  they  are  thrown  in.  Aft- 
er being  thus  reduced  they  are  put  under  a great  beam, 


* Ex.  27:  20. 


552 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


heavily  weighted  at  the  end,  and  the  oil  is  pressed  out.  It 
is  then  put  into  the  ordinary  skin  bottles  and  is  ready  for 
the  market.*  Traveling  in  Palestine  one  meets  at  many 
places  the  Arabs  taking  the  product  of  the  olives  to-  the 
market.  Two  skins  filled  with  oil  are  tied  together  and 
slung  over  the  back  of  the  patient  donkey,  and  in  this  way 
it  is  transported  long  distances. 

I continued  my  walk  along  the  smooth  carriage  road, 
now  completed  nearly  as  far  east  as  Jericho.  Just  before 
reaching  the  brow  of  the  hill  an  Arab  overtook  me  and 
the  usual  eastern  salutation  was  exchanged.  He  seemed 
anxious  to  talk,  and  what  with  making  signs  and  using  the 
few  Arabic  words  I had  learned,  we  got  on  quite  well  to- 
gether. Near  the  top  of  the  hill  we  came  to  the  mouth  of 
an  open  pit  or  cistern  partly  filled  with  water.  My  com- 
panion pointed  to  the  cistern  and  said,  “ Moyah,”  the 
Arabic  word  for  water,  and  then,  raising  his  eyes  and  point- 
ing heavenward,  he  reverently  pronounced  the  word 
“Allah”  (God),  and  I knew  he  was  telling  me  that  God 
had  given  the  water  in  the  cistern  from  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  Near  the  cistern  a woman  was  engaged  in  wash- 
ing. She  had  drawn  water  from  the  cistern  and  poured  it 
into  a depression  in  the  rock.  Kneeling  beside  this  she 
folded  the  garment  and  then  threw  water  on  it  with  her 
hands  and  pounded  it  with  a small  stone.  The  process  of 
putting  on  water  with  the  hands  and  pounding  with  the 
stone  was  continued  until  the  garment  was  clean;  that  is, 
according  to  the  Arab  idea  of  cleanliness. 

These  open  pits  or  cisterns  are  to  be  seen  at  many 
places  and  are  a source  of  considerable  danger.  In  Bible 
times  a law  was  made  compelling  the  people  to  cover 
their  cisterns  or  pay  damage  if  an  accident  occurred, 


*(Jeikie,  “ The  Holy  Land  and  the  Bible.” 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


553 


“And  if  a man  shall  open  a pit,  or  if  a man  shall  dig  a pit, 
and  not  cover  it,  and  an  ox  or  an  ass  fall  therein;  the 
owner  of  the  pit  shall  make  it  good,  and  give  money  unto 
the  owner  of  them;  and  the  dead  beast  shall  be  his.”* * * §  It 
was  into  a pit  of  this  kind  that  Joseph  was  cast  by  his  en- 
vious brethren.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Bible  says, 
‘‘And  the  pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it.”f 
From  these  water-pits  or  cisterns  David  drew  some  of  his 
striking  figures  when  he  wrote  the  Psalms:  “ Pie  brought 
me  up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay, 
and  set  my  feet  upon  a rock.”J  During  the  rainy  season 
the  cisterns  are  filled  from  the  water  running  down  the 
hillsides.  As  a result  clay  is  carried  into  them,  and  when 
the  water  has  been  taken  out  the  bottom  of  the  cistern  is 
in  the  condition  described  by  the  Psalmist.  A man  falling 
in  would  sink  into  “the  miry  clay”  at  the  bottom,  and 
when  rescued  and  lifted  out  his  feet  would  be  placed  on 
the  solid  rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  pit.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pened that  the  man  who  digged  a pit  and  left  it  uncovered 
fell  into  it  himself,  and  this  led  the  Wise  Man  to  say: 
“Whoso  causeth  the  righteous  to  go  astray  in  an  evil  way, 
he  shall  fall  himself  into  his  own  pit.”§  The  references 
made  to  these  open  pits  by  the  Savior  when  he  rebuked 
the  Pharisees  for  their  hypocrisy  concerning  the  Sabbath 
Day  are  familiar  to  all.!] 

And  now  I am  at  Bethany,  the  home  of  Martha,  Mary 
and  Lazarus.  Here  it  was  that  the  Master  had  his  home, 
and  here  he  slept  at  night  during  his  ministry  at  Jerusalem, 
Three  of  his  visits  to  Bethany  are  especially  noticed  in  the 

*Ex.  21:  33,  34. 

t Gen.  37:  24. 

tPs.  40:  2. 

§ Prov.  28:  10. 

||  Matt.  12:  u;  Luke  14:  5. 


554 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


New  Testament:  once  when  Mary  sat  at  his  feet  and  care- 
ful Martha  complained  of  her  sister;*  again  when  his 
friend  Lazarus  sickened  and  died,  and  he  raised  him  from 
the  dead;f  and  again  when  he  was  in  Bethany  at  the  house 
of  Simon  the  leper,  and  Mary  opened  the  alabaster  box  of 
ointment  and  anointed  his  body  for  his  burial. J From  the 
time  of  this  last  event  the  Savior  seems  to  have  spent 
every  night  at  Bethany  until  the  evening  before  his  death, 
when  he  remained  in  Jerusalem  and  ate  his  last  supper 
with  his  disciples  and  was  betrayed  later  that  same  night 
in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 

As  to  the  exact  site  of  the  ancient  village  of  Bethany 
there  is  some  difference  of  opinion,  and  I have  no  disposi- 
tion to  enter  into  this  controversy.  John  says:  “It  was 
nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off,”§  and  it  is 
also  well  known  that  in  coming  from  and  in  going  to  the 
village  from  Jerusalem  the  Savior  crossed  over  the  Mount 
of  Olives.  For  myself,  I have  no  doubt  that  the  village 
yonder,  known  to  the  Arabs  as  el-Azariyeh,  in  which  the 
name  of  Lazarus  is  clearly  distinguishable,  if  not  occupy- 
ing the  exact  site  of  Bethany,  is  near  enough  to  it  to  be 
practically  the  same.  Here,  too,  is  a cave-like  opening  in 
which  there  are  ancient  tombs.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  when  Jesus  came  to  the  tomb  of  Lazarus  he  found 
that  “it  was  a cave,  and  a stone  lay  upon  it.”||  I am  well 
satisfied  with  the  identity  of  the  place  and,  finding  a seat 
beneath  the  shade  of  an  olive  tree  over  against  the  village 
and  not  far  away  from  the  tombs,  I sit  down  to  rest. 

* Luke  io:  38-42. 
fjohn  11. 
t Matt.  26: 6-13. 
i?John  11: 18. 

||  John  11 : 38. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


555 


I realize  fully  that  this  little  village  and  its  surround- 
ings was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  wonderful  events  in  the 
life  of  our  blessed  Lord.  Here  was  the  home  to  which  he 
loved  to  retreat  after  the  busy  work  of  the  day  was  com- 
pleted. It  was  from  here  that  the  pathetic  message  was 
sent  to  him:  “Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.”* 
It  was  not  far  from  this  very  place  that  the  dear  Lord  led 
his  disciples  the  last  hours  that  he  spent  with  them  on 
earth,  and  here  “he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed  them. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was  parted 
from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven. ”f 

Sitting  here  restfully  in  the  shade  of  the  tree  I read 
over  again  and  again  the  story  of  the  death  and  the  resur- 
rection from  the  d^ad  of  the  man  whom  Jesus  loved. 
Who  could  read  it  here  where  it  all  occurred  without  being 
deeply  impressed?  The  entire  incident,  with  all  its  de- 
tails, is  so  in  harmony  with  the  surroundings  and  with  the 
customs  of  the  times  when  it  occurred,  many  of  which 
obtain  here  yet,  that  it  seems  quite  natural.  The  message 
to  the  Lord,  the  death  and  burial  of  Lazarus,  the  coming 
of  the  friends  of  the  family  from  Jerusalem  to  mourn  with 
and  comfort  them,  are  all  quite  in  harmony  with  the  cus- 
toms of  the  times.  Then  comes  the  touching  meeting 
between  the  Lord  and  the  sisters  of  the  dead  man,  and 
the  words  wrung  from  their  sorrowing  hearts:  “Lord,  if 
thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.”J  How 
these  words  touched  the  sympathetic  heart  of  the  dear 
Lord,  and  how  he  wept  with  the  weeping  sisters!  Here 
we  have  the  words  of  promise  that  have  gladdened  the 
heart  of  every  Christian  since  they  were  uttered,  “I  am 


*John  n:  3. 
t Luke  24:  50,  51. 
t Jolm  11:  21. 


556 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  resurrection,  and  the  life:  he  that  believeth  in  me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live:  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die.”*  The  sad 
procession  wends  its  way  yonder  to  the  grave,  and  the 
command  is  given  to  take  away  the  stone.  The  Lord  lift- 
ing up  his  eyes  prayed  earnestly  to  the  Father  that  he 
would  hear  him,  and  then  crying  with  a loud  voice  he  said, 
“Lazarus,  come  forth.”  And  behold  the  dead  form  re- 
ceives life  and  comes  forth  from  the  grave.  The  account 
closes  here.  One  could  wish  that  a glimpse  of  the  reunion 
of  the  brother  and  sisters  might  have  been  given.  There 
must  have  been  rejoicing  that  day  in  the  little  village  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  Olivet.  And  how  their  joy  must  have 
been  pervaded  with  gratitude  to  the  Lord  for  what  he  had 
done  for  them,  and  chastened  by  holy  fear,  for  in  their 
midst  sat  ohe  who  had  gone  beyond  the  portals  of  the 
grave  and  had  been  called  back  to  life  by  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God. 

The  sun  is  declining  in  the  western  horizon,  and  the 
Mount  of  Olives  casts  its  shadow  over  Bethany  and  the 
tomb  of  Lazarus.  Several  children  from  the  village  have 
discovered  my  retreat  and  stand  at  a respectful  distance 
watching  with  curious  eyes  the  movements  of  Howadjii,  as 
they  call  me.  I turn  my  face  again  toward  Jerusalem.  In 
the  western  sky  I notice  a little  cloud  no  larger  than  a 
man’s  hand.  I have  only  a mile  and  a half  to  walk,  and  I 
make  no  haste  to  get  me  down.  Presently  the  sun  is  ob- 
scured and  I quicken  my  pace.  Reaching  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane  and  crossing  the  brook  of  Kidron  I climb 
up  the  steep  path  to  St.  Stephen’s  Gate,  but  before  I enter 
the  city  the  “heaven  is  black  with  clouds”  and  the  rain 
commences  falling.  I hurry  on  and  reach  the  hotel  in  a 

* John  11:  25,  26. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  557 

drenching  shower.  The  sudden  rain  storm  reminds  me  of 
Elijah  and  Ahab’s  experience  on  Mount  Carmel.  There 
appeared  a little  cloud,  arising  out  of  the  sea  to  the  west, 
“like  a man’s  hand.  And  he  said,  Go  up,  say  unto  Aliab, 
Prepare  thy  chariot,  and  get  thee  down,  that  the  rain  stop 
thee  not.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  mean  while,  that  the 
heaven  was  black  with  clouds  and  wind,  and  there  was  a 
great  rain.”* 

And  so  the  day  spent  on  Olivet  and  at  Bethany  ends; 
but  the  memory  of  this  day  will  remain  with  me  while  life 
and  reason  last. 

* i Kings  18:  44,  45. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


Peculiar  People. — The  Jews  a Persecuted  Race. — Their  Hopes  of  the 
Future. — The  Place  of  Wailing.— The  Spoffords. — An  Interesting 
Story. — Shipwreck. — Waiting  for  the  Coining  of  the  Lord  in  Je- 
rusalem.— Prophecy. — The  New  City. — The  Tombs. — The  Ash 
Heap. — Wine  Press. — Vineyards. 


( Ibs^ERUSALEM  is  a common  center  to  which  are 
j Qf  pecuiiar  people  from  nearly 


habitable  globe.  They  come  to 


the  Holy  City  prompted  by  religious  convictions  and 
opinions  which  are  so  vague  and  visionary  in  their  char- 
acter that,  were  it  not  for  the  zeal  manifested  and  the 
sacrifices  made  by  those  who  are  thus  actuated,  we  could 
have  but  little  patience  with  them.  But  when  we  are 
brought  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  these  people  leave 
their  homes  and  friends,  sacrificing  all  that  humanity  gen- 
erally holds  most  dear  in  this  world,  then  our  impatience 
turns  to  pity,  and  at  most  we  can  only  say  their  zeal  is 
without  knowledge. 

No  class  of  people  who  are  thus  drawn  to  Jerusalem 
are  more  interesting  to  us  than  the  sons  of  Jacob.  Main- 
taining their  identity,  their  race  peculiarities,  their  lan- 
guage and  their  customs,  the  Jews  are  a miracle  in 
themselves.  No  race  of  people  has  been  more  bitterly  or 
cruelly  persecuted  than  the  Jews.  Without  a country  or 
a home  they  have  been  broken  and  scattered  to  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe.  They  have  been  robbed,  tortured, 
burned  at  the  stake,  and  subjected  to  the  most  fiendish 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


559 


cruelty  that  the  ingenuity  of  their  persecutors  could  invent. 
They  have  become  a byword  among  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  they  have  thus  been 
persecuted  and  cast  out  as  the  offscouring  of  the  earth, 
they  have  clung  to  their  faith  and  their  peculiarities.  The 
world  affords  no  similar  example  of  faith  and  steadfastness 
of  purpose.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  is  found  in  the 
persecution  of  the  early  Christians.  But  this  ceased  at 
the  conversion  of  Constantine,  and  then  for  centuries  the 
church  was  comparatively  free  from  persecution.  The 
persecution  of  the  Jews  still  goes  on.  The  last  nation  to 
place  the  iron  hand  on  them  in  modern  times  is  Russia,  a 
so-called  Christian  country.  How  clearly  in  all  this  is 
marked  out  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy:  “Thou  makest  us 
a byword  among  the  heathen.”*  The  Jews  are  to  be  found 
in  almost  every  nation  under  the  sun,  for  the  prophet  said, 
“I  shall  scatter  them  among  the  nations,  and  disperse  them 
in  the  countries.”!  And  again,  speaking  of  the  dispersion 
of  Israel,  it  is  said  that  they  shall  be  broken  and  scattered 
as  a potter’s  vessel  is  broken  in  pieces  and  the  sherds 
strewn  upon  the  ground. J The  dispersion  is  to  be  com- 
plete^ the  house  of  Israel  is  to  be  sifted  “among  all 
nations,  like  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a sieve.”  In  the  history 
of  God’s  dealings  with  this  people  the  words  of  his  holy 
prophets  have  been  literally  fulfilled. 

And  so  to-day  devout  Jews  from  almost  every  nation 
under  the  sun  come  here  to  the  Holy  City,  holy  and  dear 
to  them  in  a special  sense,  to  pray  and  to  die,  so  that  they 
may  receive  burial  under  the  shadow  of  the  walls  of  Zion. 
For  centuries  they  have  come,  hoping  against  hope  for  the 

* Ps.  44:  14. 

fEzek.  12: 15. 

Jlsa.  30:  14. 

§Amos  9:  9. 


560 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


coming  of  the  long-expected  Messiah  who,  according  to 
their  faith,  is  to  restore  the  throne  of  Israel  to  the  house 
of  David,  to  drive  out  the  oppressor  and  to  set  up,  with 
Jerusalem  as  its  capital,  an  earthly  kingdom  which  shall 
far  exceed  in  power  and  magnificence  the  splendor  of  the 
most  prosperous  days  of  David  and  Solomon.  For  this 
consummation  of  their  dearest  earthly  hope  they  constant- 
ly pray,  and  for  more  than  twelve  hundred  years  they  have 
assembled  at  the  inner  temple  platform  wall,  where  there 
is  still  to  be  seen  a portion  of  the  wall  built  by  Solomon’s 
builders.  Here  they  weep  and  mourn  over  the  destruction 
of  Zion  and  pray  to  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob 
for  the  speedy  coming  of  the  deliverer. 

We  visited  the  Jews’  wailing  place  a number  of  times 
while  we  were  in  Jerusalem  and  never  without  absorbing 
interest.  The  annexed  reproduction  of  a photograph 
shows  the  faces  of  some  of  the  mourners,  as  well  as  their 
mode  of  dress  and  general  appearance.  The  picture  is  so 
well  executed  that  the  faces  would  be  easily  recognizable 
by  any  one  acquainted  with  the  originals.  At  one  time 
during  a visit  to  the  Jews’  wailing  place  we  counted  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  men  and  women  collected  at  the 
wall  mourning  over  their  beloved  city.  It  is  a sad  sight, 
and  although  we  visited  the  place  a number  of  times  we 
never  went  there  without  feeling  deeply  impressed  with  the 
zeal  and  devotion  of  the  Jews. 

The  massive  stones,  hewn  out  of  the  mountain  and 
placed  in  the  wall  by  Solomon’s  builders,  are  clearly 
brought  out  in  the  picture.  A curious  custom  prevails 
among  the  Jews  who  visit  this  place.  Each  one  tries  to 
drive  a nail  or  a bit  of  old  iron  into  the  joints  between  the 
stones,  and  they  have  succeeded  in  driving  thousands  of 
nails  into  the  wall.  Whether  this  custom  grows  out  of  a 


Wailing  Place. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


563 


desire  to  drive  “a  nail  in  a sure  place,”*  or  from  the  wish 
to  have  a possession  in  Jerusalem,  be  it  ever  so  small,  we 
cannot  say.  The  custom  prevails  and  it  is  curious  in  its 
way. 

Many  times  is  the  question  asked  as  to  the  future  of 
the  Jews.  Will  a remnant  of  Israel  be  saved?  We  do  not 
propose  to  discuss  this  question.  Volumes  have  been 
written  upon  it,  and  some  difference  of  opinion  obtains 
among  those  who  have  given  the  subject  thought  and 
study.  The  belief  that  a remnant  of  Israel  will  be  restored 
is  based  on  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  and  upon  what  is 
said  in  the  New  Testament  on  the  subject.  In  the  former 
frequent  reference  is  made  to  the  saving  of  Israel,  and  the 
Master  in  speaking  of  Jerusalem  says  it  “shall  be  trodden 
down  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be 
fulfilled. ”f  And  Paul  refers  to  the  same  thing  when  he 
says  “that  blindness  in  part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until 
the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in.  And  so  all  Israel 
shall  be  saved:  as  it  is  written,  There  shall  come  out  of 
Sion  the  Deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from 
Jacob. According  to  these  promises  it  seems  to  us  we 
may  look  for  the  restoration  of  Israel.  It  will  come,  how- 
ever, when  the  blindness  has  been  removed  from  the  eyes 
of  Israel,  and  the  gathering  of  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  may 
indicate  that  the  fullness  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  may 
not  be  far  distant.  Since  our  first  visit  to  the  Holy  City 
nine  years  ago  large  numbers  of  Jews  have  collected  here; 
but  about  a year  ago  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  issued  an  edict 
forbidding  Jews  to  land  in  Palestine,  and  this  order  has  for 
the  present  put  a stop  to  the  influx  of  these  people.  In 


*Isa.  22:  23. 
f Luke  21 : 24. 

$ Rom.  11:  25,  26. 


564 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


God’s  own  good  time,  however,  Israel  will  be  restored,  the 
Sultan’s  edicts  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

We  were  also  interested  in  another  class  of  people 
who  are  living  at  Jerusalem  waiting  patiently  for  the  sec- 
ond coming  of  the  Lord  and  the  ushering  in  of  the  mil- 
lennium. They  are  known  as  the  American  Colon)',  and 
they  have  an  interesting  history.  Some  fifteen  years  ago 
there  lived  in  the  City  of  Chicago  an  eminently  successful 
lawyer  by  the  name  of  Spofford.  He  had  a large  and 
profitable  practice  and  had  amassed  considerable  wealth. 
His  wife  was  a woman  of  education  and  culture,  and  his 
home  was  blessed  with  the  happy  faces  of  four  beautiful 
children.  In  order  to  enjoy  a season  of  rest  from  hard 
work  Mr.  Spofford  took  his  family  to  Europe  to  spend  the 
summer.  At  Paris  he  received  a dispatch  calling  him 
home  at  once  to  look  after  some  important  business.  He 
left  his  family  in  the  gay  capital  of  Europe  and  hurried 
home  by  the  first  steamer.  Several  weeks  later  his  wife 
and  children  determined  to  follow  him.  They  took  pas- 
sage on  the  ill-fated  French  steamer  Ville  du  Havre  for 
New  York.  But  the  ship  never  reached  her  port.  In  mid- 
ocean she  came  into  collision  with  another  vessel,  and  she 
went  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  with  nearly  all  her  passen- 
gers. Mrs.  Spofford  and  one  of  her  children,  the  youngest, 
were  among  the  saved.  She  was  in  the  water  a number 
of  hours,  clinging  to  a piece  of  the  wreck  and  holding  her 
child  in  her  arms.  It  was  while  floating  in  the  water  that 
the  impression  was  made  upon  her  mind  that  changed  the 
entire  course  of  her  and  her  husband’s  life. 

Reaching  her  home  in  Chicago,  now  made  desolate  by 
the  loss  of  the  children  who  were  sleeping  beneath  the 
waters  of  the  ocean,  she  revealed  to  her  husband  what 
seemed  to  her  to  be  God’s  will  concerning  them.  This 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  565 

was  to  sell  all  their  earthly  possessions  leave  their  home 
and  friends  and  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  await  the 
coming  of  Christ.  And  this  they  did.  They  reached  the 
city  some  twelve  years  ago,  with  a number  of  friends  who 
were  induced  to  accept  their  views.  Here,  in  comparative 
poverty  and  obscurity,  they  have  lived  since.  Mr.  Spofford 
became  well  known  among  the  native  Arabs  and  was 
called  the  “Good  Father.”  He  was  kind-hearted  and  gave 
to  others  until  his  money  was  all  gone.  Two  years  ago  he 
died.  Mrs.  Spofford  is  still  the  leading  spirit  in  the  little 
community. 

We  called  upon  her  and  found  a pleasant,  highly- 
cultured  woman.  She  has  a remarkable  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures,  is  a fluent  and  ready  talker,  and  impressed  us 
as  one  who  had  known  suffering  and  sorrow.  And  yet 
the  years  of  waiting  and  disappointment  have  not  lessened 
her  faith  in  her  peculiar  belief,  and  she  is  still  waiting 
patiently  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  She  holds  literally 
the  Scripture  which  says  we  must  give  up  all  for  Christ’s 
sake,  and  this  means  to  her  father,  mother,  husband,  chil- 
dren, friends  and  all  earthly  possessions.  She  believes 
that  if  all  professed  Christians  would  do  this  the  Lord 
would  not  delay  his  second  coming. 

Since  our  visit  to  the  Holy  City  in  1884  there  has  been, 
it  may  be  said,  a new  Jerusalem  built  outside  the  walls  of 
the  old  city.  The  buildings  extend  northward  along  the 
Jaffa  Road  about  three-fourths  of  a mile.  They  extend 
also  as  far  west  as  the  upper  part  of  Gihon,  and  eastward 
toward  the  upper  valley  of  the  brook  of  Kidron.  We 
were  much  interested  in  our  walks  about  the  new  city, 
especially  after  our  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that 
there  seems  to  be  a possibility  that  the  present  course  of 
building  is  in  line  with  prophecy.  If  this  be  true  the  sub- 


<66 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


ject  assumes  a very  interesting  phase  indeed.  The  proph- 
ecy alluded  to  reads  as  follows:  “Behold,  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord,  that  the  city  shall  be  built  to  the  Lord 
irom  the  tower  of  Hananeel  unto  the  gate  of  the  corner. 
And  the  measuring  line  shall  yet  go  forth  over  against  it 
upon  the  hill  Gareb,  and  shall  compass  about  to  Goath. 
And  the  whole  valley  of  the  dead  bodies,  and  of  the  ashes, 
and  all  the  fields  unto  the  brook  of  Kidron,  unto  the 
corner  of  the  horse  gate  toward  the  east,  shall  be  holy 
unto  the  Lord;  it  shall  not  be  plucked  up,  nor  thrown 
down  any  more  for  ever.”*  And  again  the  prophet  says: 
“Jerusalem  shall  be  inhabited  as  towns  without  walls  for 
the  multitude  of  men  and  cattle  therein.  All  the  land 
shall  be  turned  as  a plain  from  Geba  to  Rimmon  south  of 
Jerusalem:  and  it  shall  be  lifted  up,  and  inhabited  in  her 
place,  from  Benjamin’s  gate  unto  the  place  of  the  first 
gate,  unto  the  corner  gate,  and  from  the  tower  of  Hananeel 
unto  the  king’s  winepresses.”! 

In  company  with  the  Elder  and  Jacob,  a converted 
Jew,  we  walked  about  the  new  city  and  noted  the  line  of 
building. 

One  part  of  prophecy  has  been  literally  fulfilled: 
“Jerusalem  shall  be  inhabited  as  towns  without  walls. ”J 
When  this  was  spoken  the  walls  of  the  city  were  a pro- 
tection to  the  inhabitants,  and  during  the  day  watchmen 
stood  on  the  towers  above  the  gates  to  give  warning  of  the 
approach  of  an  enemy.  At  night  the  gates  were  closed 
and  securely  barred  to  keep  out  all  intruders.  This  con- 
dition of  affairs  has  continued  even  until  modern  times, 
and  it  has  been  only  a very  few  years  since  the  gates  have 
not  been  closed  at  night.  Now  they  are  left  open  and 


*Jer.  31:38-40. 
tZech.  2:  4;  14: 10. 
|Zech.  2:  4. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  567 

people  dwell  in  safety  within  and  without  the  walls,  as  in 
“towns  without  walls.” 

Those  who  regard  the  building  of  the  new  city  as  in 
line  with  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy  place  the  tower  of 
Hananeel,  from  which  the  buildings  were  to  start,  near 
the  Jaffa  Gate.  Walking  out  of  the  Jaffa  Gate  with  this 
thought  in  mind,  we  find  that  many  new  buildings  have 
been  erected  since  our  former  visit.  The  walls  northeast 
of  the  gate  are  entirely  hidden  from  view  by  new  build- 
ings, and  a street  running  along  the  line  of  the  Jaffa  Road 
has  shops  and  stores  on  either  side.  Following  the  course 
of  this  street,  in  a few  minutes’  walk  we  reach  a new  hotel, 
built  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers.  We  follow  the 
course  of  the  strong,  well-constructed,  cut-stone  build- 
ings, many  of  them  large  and  well  built,  to  the  hills  of 
Garcb  and  Goath,  or  at  least  to  what  are,  in  our  guide’s 
mind,  those  localities.  If  the  tower  of  Hananeel  be  at  or 
near  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  if  these  places  pointed  out  be  the 
hills  of  Gareb  and  Goath,  then  thus  far  the  buildings  are 
exactly  in  line  with  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah.  Our  guide, 
Jacob,  was  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind  that  this  is 
the  case,  and  that  the  building  of  the  new  city  is  certainly 
a fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  referred  to. 

We  now  turn  our  faces  eastward,  and  after  crossing 
several  fields  and  climbing  over  the  stone  walls,  we  reach 
a large  stone-quarry,  where  a number  of  Jews  are  engaged 
in  quarrying  and  cutting  stone  for  building  purposes.  The 
work  is  carried  on  by  a benevolent  German  who  has  in- 
terested himself  in  behalf  of  the  poor  Jews.  He  gives 
them  employment,  and  thus  while  helping  them  gets  them 
to  work.  The  rock  here  is  the  blue  limestone  and  is  quite 
hard.  After  it  has  been  blasted  and  the  larger  stones  cut 
and  removed,  the  smaller  ones  are  thrown  into  the  cavity 


568 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


and  covered  with  earth.  Then,  after  the  rainy  season  is 
over,  olive  trees  are  planted.  Near  by  the  quarry  the 
German  has  put  up  a soap  factory,  where  soap  is  made 
with  olive  oil  as  a base.  As  the  Jews  here  are  very  ortho- 
dox they  will  use  no  soap  in  which  animal  fat  is  used. 
The  German  is  a benefactor  in  more  ways  than  one,  for  the 
Jews  at  Jerusalem  surely  need  soap,  and  plenty  of  it. 

Leaving  the  quarry,  near  which  has  recently  been 
discovered  an  old-time  wine  press,  from  which  the  place 
has  been  called  “Abraham’s  vineyard,”  we  climb  over 
stone  walls,  and  after  walking  a considerable  distance 
reach  a valley  along  the  rocky  sides  of  which  are  a number 
of  tombs  cut  in  the  solid  limestone.  Most  travelers  who 
visit  Jerusalem  satisfy  themselves  by  going  to  the  Tombs 
of  the  Kings,  not  knowing  that  this  valley  contains  very 
many  interesting  tombs.  After  examining  a number  of 
these  tombs  we  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  were 
surprised  to  note  that  the  buildings  were  being  constructed 
in  the  line  of  this  “valley  of  the  dead  bodies,”  and  we  set 
down  another  item  in  the  prophecy  which  seems  to  be  in 
the  course  of  fulfillment. 

From  the  “valley  of  the  dead  bodies”  we  next  reach 
the  recently  discovered  wine  presses  which,  owing  to  the 
great  size  of  the  wine  vats  and  the  immense  cellar  in  which 
to  store  the  wine,  have  been  called,  perhaps  not  incorrect- 
ly, the  king’s  wine  presses.  We  leave  a description  of  the 
wine  press  until  we  complete  our  walk.  A single  glance 
at  the  buildings  constructed  shows  that  they  are  reaching 
out  toward  the  wine  press;  and  if  this  be  the  “king’s  wine 
press,”  spoken  of  by  Zechariah,  we  may  set  down  another 
item  in  which  the  prophecy  is  being  fulfilled. 

Continuing  our  walk  we  next  come  to  a great  mound 
which  has  been  opened  within  the  last  few  years,  and  ha,s 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


569 


been  found  to  be  a great  ash  heap.  Two  theories  are  held 
as  to  this  great  mound  of  ashes,  which  is  now  being  taken 
away  and  used  in  making  mortar  for  building  purposes. 
One  is  that  there  must  have  been  at  one  time  a large  soap 
factory  here,  and  the  ashes  are  the  result.  The  other  is 
that  the  ashes  were  carried  here  from  the  temple  when  the 
offerings  were  burned,  and  that  this  great  heap  was 
gathered  here  century  after  century  from  the  altar  of  burnt 
offerings.  This  latter  theory  is  supported  by  the  fact  that 
according  to  the  law  the  ashes  of  the  burnt  offering  were 
to  be  carried  without  the  camp:  “And  the  priest  shall  . . 

take  up  the  ashes  which  the  fire  hath  consumed  with  the 
burnt  offering  on  the  altar,  and  he  shall  put  them  beside 
the  altar.  And  he  shall  put  off  his  garments,  and  put  on 
other  garments,  and  carry  forth  the  ashes  without  the 
camp  unto  a clean  place. ”*  This  place,  say  they  who 
support  this  theory,  is  where  the  ashes  were  thrown  and 
the  accumulations  here  for  nearly  a thousand  years  formed 
this  great  mound.  Another  fact  is  also  given  us  by  Jacob. 
A quantity  of  the  ashes  was  sent  to  England  and  America, 
and  was  carefully  analyzed  and  found  to  contain  both 
vegetable  and  animal  matter.  This  statement  is  held  to 
prove  that  the  ashes,  coming  from  the  wood  on  the  altar 
and  the  flesh  of  the  burnt  offering,  would  contain  just  the 
elements  found  in  these  great  mounds;  hence  here  is  the 
clean  place  “without  the  camp”  where  the  ashes  from  the 
altar  of  the  burnt  offering  were  thrown.  This  being  true, 
when  the  prophet  spoke  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  new  city 
without  walls  he  referred  to  the  valley  “of  the  ashes”  as  a 
place  well  known  and  said  the  measuring  line  of  the 
builders  should  come  this  way.  Standing  on  the  mound 
and  looking  around  us  we  see  that  some  of  the  new  houses 


*Lev.  6:  10,  ij. 


5/0 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


are  within  a short  distance  of  the  ashes.  If  these  be  the 
ashes  referred  to  by  the  prophet,  we  may  set  down  another 
item  in  which  the  prophecy  is  being  fulfilled. 

From  the  ash  mound  we  cross  over  the  hills  and  fields 
“unto  the  brook  of  Kidron.”  North  of  Jerusalem  is  the 
ridge  which  divides  the  watershed  between  the  Great  and 
the  Dead  seas.  Standing  on  this  ridge  we  see  to  the 
north  the  depression  sinking  away  and  forming  a valley 
through  which  the  waters  flow  toward  and  finally  into  the 
Mediterranean;  while  southward  the  depression  forms  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  through  which  the  brook  of  Kidron 
flows  between  Olivet  and  Moriah,  uniting  with  the  valley 
of  Hinnom  south  of  Jerusalem  and  continuing  on  to  the 
Dead  Sea.  Here  are  “all  the  fields  unto  the  brook  of 
Kidron,”  and  here  too  comes  the  line  of  the  new  buildings, 
some  of  which  have  already  been  constructed  in  the  fields. 
Here  we  may  set  down  still  another  item  in  the  prophecy 
which  is  being  fulfilled. 

Thus  far  we  have  followed  our  guide,  and  now,  as  the 
sun  is  setting  behind  the  western  hills  of  Judea,  we  hurry 
back  to  the  city.  The  walk  has  been  full  of  interest,  and 
it  has  led  us  to  examine  very  closely  the  prophecy  and  the 
question  as  to  whether  the  new  city  which  is  now  being 
budded  here  is  the  one  that  “shall  not  be  plucked  up,  nor 
thrown  down  any  more  for  ever.”  The  interpretation  of 
prophecy,  owing  to  the  many  figures  of  speech  used,  is 
always  attended  with  difficulty,  and  the  best  interpretation 
comes  in  the  light  of  fulfillment.  In  the  prophecies  here 
referred  to  there  are  some  strong  points  in  favor  of  the 
view  that  the  building  of  the  new  city  outside  the  walls  of 
the  old  is  in  line  with  their  fulfillment.  But  we  cannot 
assuredly  say  that  it  is  until  the  various  localities  named 
are  authenticated.  Until  this  is  done  we  can  afford  to 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


571 


wait,  and  in  the  meantime  we  may  rest  assured  that  in 
God’s  own  good  time  every  word  of  the  prophecy  of  his 
Book  will  be  fulfilled. 

We  now  go  back  again  to  the  wine  presses  which  we 
examined  very  carefully  in  our  walk.  These  are  simply  a 
series  of  vats  cut  into  the  solid  rock  of  the  hillside  and 
connected  by  gutters  through  which  the  juice  of  the  grape 
passed  from  the  full  to  the  empty  vats  below.  The  upper 
vat  on  top  of  the  rocky  hillside  was  not  less  than  four  feet 
square  and  a foot  deep.  The  gutter  leading  to  the  next 
vat  below  was  not  more  than  four  inches  deep.  There 
were  four  vats  in  the  series,  all  connected  as  before  noted 
with  gutters.  The  three  lower  vats  were  much  larger  and 
deeper  than  the  upper  one,  and  had  capacity  for  a large 
quantity  of  grape  juice. 

The  grapes  were  thrown  into  the  upper  vat  and  here 
the  treading  process  took  place.  Men,  barefoot,  trod  upon 
the  grapes  until  the  entire  mass  was  reduced  to  pulp  and 
juice.  Then  more  grapes  were  thrown  in  and  the  treading 
process  continued,  and  as  the  upper  vat  filled  the  juice  was 
carried  by  the  gutter  into  the  vat  next  below.  This  process 
was  kept  up  until  all  the  vats  were  filled. 

Treading  the  wine  press  was  hard  and  wearisome  labor, 
and  as  the  red  grape,  with  juice  red  as  blood,  was  grown  in 
Palestine,  the  raiment  of  those  who  trod  in  the  vats  be- 
came red,  and  from  this  fact  Isaiah  drew  one  of  his  most 
vivid  figures  of  speech:  “Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine 
apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him  that  treadeth  in  the 
winefat?  I have  trodden  the  winepress  alone;  and  of  the 
people  there  was  none  with  me.”*  The  presses  here  were 
so  large  that  several  men  could  crush  grapes  at  the  same 
time.  In  some  of  the  smaller  wine  presses  there  was  but  a 


* Isaiah  63:  2,  3. 


5 r- 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


single  vat  and  a shallow  place  at  the  one  side  of  it  where 
the  wine  press  was  “ trodden  alone.”  The  treading  out  of 
the  blood-red  juice  of  the  grape  is  referred  to  by  St.  John 
in  the  Apocalypse  where  he  speaks  of  the  “ wine  press  of  the 
fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God,”  and  of  the  wicked 
who  are  cast  into  ‘‘the  great  wine  press  of  the  wrath  of  God. 
And  the  winepress  was  trodden  without  the  city,  and  blood 
came  out  of  the  winepress,  even  unto  the  horse  bridles.”* 

Near  the  wine  presses  is  a great  cistern  or  cellar  cut 
into  the  rock  in  which  it  is  more  than  likely  the  wine  was 
stored  in  the  skin  bottles  described  in  the  preceding 
chapter.  After  the  wine  had  fermented  it  was  taken  out  of 
the  vats  and  put  into  the  skins,  and  then  stored  away  in 
the  cellars.  The  one  here  is  forty-six  feet  deep  and,  it 
has  been  estimated,  would  hold  fifty  thousand  wine  skins, 
or  not  far  from  a half  million  gallons  of  wine.  The  kings’ 
wine  cellars  were  of  so  much  importance  that  an  overseer 
was  appointed  “over  the  increase  of  the  vineyards  for  the 
wine  cellars. ”f 

The  vineyard  is  also  frequently  referred  to  in  the 
Scripture.  The  Savior  refers  to  “a  certain  householder, 
which  planted  a vineyard,  and  hedged  it  round  about,  and 
digged  a winepress  in  it,  and  built  a tower.”  The  same 
conditions  exist  here  now  that  obtained  when  the  Master 
spoke  the  parable  referred  to.  In  one  of  our  walks  we  saw  a 
husbandman  pruning  the  vine.  We  noticed  with  what  care 
he  cut  away  the  dead  and  useless  branches  and  how  he 
pruned  the  good  branches  so  that  they  might  bring  forth 
more  fruit.  And  then,  too,  the  withered  branches  were 
gathered  into  bundles  and  made  ready  for  the  fire.  Before 
us  we  had  the  same  object  lesson  which  Christ  beheld  when 


* Rev.  14:  20. 
f 1 Chron.  27:  27. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


573 


he  exclaimed:  “ I am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the 
husbandman.  Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit 
he  taketh  away:  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he 
purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  If  a man 
abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a branch,  and  is  with- 
ered; and  men  gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and 
they  are  burned.”* 

* John  15: 1, 2,  6. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


The  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem. — An  Interesting  Interview. — Baptism. — 
Feet-washing. — The  Division  between  Greeks  and  Latins. — Teach- 
ing of  the  Greek  Church. — Number  of  Communicants. 

NE  among  our  interesting  experiences  in  Jerusalem 
was  a visit  to  the  Patriarch  of  the  Greek  church, 
who  by  virtue  of  his  office  is  looked  upon  by  all 
Greek  Christians  with  much  love  and  veneration. 
Our  visit  was  arranged  for  by  our  excellent  dragoman,  Mr. 
Tadros,  who  is  a member  of  the  Greek  church  and  in  every 
respect  a reliable  guide.  He  speaks  English  very  fluently 
and,  being  a native  of  Jerusalem,  is  thoroughly  posted. 
Should  any  of  our  readers  visit  Jerusalem  and  require  a 
dragoman  they  will  find  in  Mr.  Tadros  a most  trustworthy 
and  excellent  guide,  one  who  can  always  be  depended 
upon. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  in  company  with  our  dragoman, 
we  went  to  the  Patriarch’s  home  and  were  met  at  the  door 
by  his  archdeacon,  Father  Stephanus,  and  conducted  into  a 
finely-furnished  audience  room.  The  deacon  spoke  Eng- 
lish with  remarkable  fluency.  He  informed  us  that  he 
had  spent  several  years  in  America  and  was  well  pleased 
with  our  country.  After  waiting  a few  minutes  the  Patri- 
arch in  his  official  robes  came  into  the  room  and  received 
us  very  kindly  and  with  warm-hearted  cordiality.  To  us 
this  was  all  the  more  surprising,  for  we  carried  no  letters  of 
introduction  to  him,  and  were  simply  presented  as  travelers 
especially  interested  in  the  religious  practice  of  the  Greek 
574 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


575 


church.  After  being  seated  a servant  came  in  with  pre- 
served fruit  and  water,  and  each  of  the  guests  was  served 
with  a portion  of  the  sweetmeats.  After  this  coffee  was 
served;  and  when  these  necessary  acts  of  hospitality  were 
dispensed  with  we  were  ready  for  the  interview. 


The  Patriarch,  who  is  known  as  “His  Beatitude  Giras- 
imo,  Patriarch  of  the  Church  of  Jerusalem  and  of  Syria,”  is 
a fine-looking,  intelligent  man  of  about  fifty  years.  He  has 
a pleasant  face  and  wore  the  dress  and  cap  of  the  Greek 
priest.  Like  all  eastern  people  he  wears  a full  beard,  as  in- 


576 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


dicated  in  the  annexed  engraving.  He  spoke  in  the  Greek 
tongue  and  his  archdeacon  acted  as  interpreter. 

The  Patriarch  impressed  us  as  being  a kind-hearted 
man,  well  informed  as  to  the  church  over  which  he  holds 
the  bishopric.  He  made  us  feel  quite  at  home,  and  very 
kindly  inquired  concerning  the  object  of  our  visit  to  him. 
We  told  him  of  our  interest  in  the  practice  of  the  early 
Christian  church,  and  of  the  efforts  of  our  own  people  in  a 
reformatory  movement  to  re-establish  apostolic  and  primi- 
tive Christianity.  He  expressed  pleasure  at  hearing  this 
declaration,  and  at  once  said  he  would  be  very  happy  in- 
deed to  give  us  any  information  possible  in  regard  to  the 
practice  of  the  Greek  church,  and  kindly  invited  us  to  ask 
questions.  We  made  the  best  use  of  the  liberty  granted, 
and  spent  an  hour  in  asking  questions  bearing  on  the  sub- 
ject and  receiving  answers  to  them.  The  result  of  the  in- 
terview is  given  in  an  abridged  form  from  notes  taken  at 
the  time.  Many  questions  were  asked  and  answered,  but 
the  following  contains  the  substance  of  the  interview: 

i.  What  is  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  Greek  church 
as  to  baptism? 

“We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  baptized  in  the  Jor- 
dan by  John  the  Baptist  by  immersion.  We  believe  the 
Holy  Commission,*  given  by  Jesus  Christ  to  his  apostles, 
and  the  church  teaches  that  those  who  believe  are  to  be 
baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  into  the  name  of 
the  Son,  and  into  the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  So  reads 
the  Greek.  In  practice  we  take  the  adult  candidate  into 
the  water,  dipping  him  face  forward  three  times,  once  into 
each  of  the  three  names  in  the  Holy  Trinity.  In  admin- 
istering the  ordinance  of  baptism,  the  minister  uses  the 
following  formula:  ‘I,  the  servant  of  God,  baptize  thee 


* Matt.  28: 19. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


577 


(pronouncing  the  surname  of  the  candidate)  into  the  name 
of  the  Father  (dipping  the  candidate),  and  into  the  name 
of  the  Son  (dipping  the  candidate),  and  into  the  name  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  (again  dipping  the  candidate).’  So  Christ 
commanded.  So  the  holy  apostles  baptized,  so  they  hand- 
ed it  down  to  us,  so  we  baptize.” 

2.  Does  the  Greek  church  practice  the  rite  of  feet- 
washing? 

“Yes!  The  last  night  Christ  was  with  his  disciples  he 
washed  his  disciples’  feet,  and  wiped  them  with  the  towel 
wherewith  he  was  girded.*  This  event  occurred  in  the  City 
of  Jerusalem.  Following  the  example  of  Jesus,  we  wash 
feet  here  once  each  year.  The  ceremony  takes  place  dur- 
ing the  Holy  or  Easter  week.  In  practice  twelve  priests 
are  selected  and  their  feet  are  washed  by  the  Patriarch. 
Patriarchs  and  bishops  may  wash  feet  in  any  of  the  Greek 
churches,  but  the  practice  is  not  now  held  as  a dogma  or 
doctrine  of  the  church.  The  observance  of  washing  feet  is 
practiced  at  many  places  among  the  Greeks  who  are  desir- 
ous of  following  the  example  of  Christ.” 

3.  What  view  do  you  take  of  the  ancient  agape  or 
feast  of  love? 

“ In  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian  church  the 
love-feast  or  agape  was  observed  by  all  Christians.  It  was 
an  apostolic  practice,  based  on  the  example  of  Christ, 
w'ho  ate  a supper  with  his  disciples  the  night  of  his  betray- 
al, when  he  instituted  the  Eucharist.  The  church  at  first 
was  full  of  love  and  there  was  more  simplicity  among  them. 
They  then  kept  the  feast  of  love.  Later,  as  the  church 
grew  in  numbers,  abuses  crept  in,  and  because  of  abuses 
and  excesses  in  the  observance  of  the  last  supper  or  feast 
of  love  it  fell  into  disrepute,  gradually  dropped  out  of 


John  13. 


578 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


practice,  and  was  finally  set  aside  by  an  action  of  a great 
council.  But  the  Greek  church  still  keeps  the  spirit  of  the 
agape  alive  in  a symbol  of  love,  and  this  is  done  in  the 
salutation  of  the  holy  kiss.” 

4.  In  what  way  do  you  observe  the  salutation  to 
which  you  have  referred? 

“The  Greek  church  maintain  the  apostolic  form  of 
salutation,  and  salute  one  another  with  an  holy  kiss.*  In 
binding  ourselves  together  with  the  kiss  of  love  we  symbol- 
ize the  feast  of  love.  In  giving  the  salutation,  equals  salute 
each  other  by  clasping  hands  and  kissing  each  other  on  the 
lips  or  cheeks;  those  who  are  inferior,  by  kissing  the  hand 
of  the  superior;  as,  for  example,  the  laymembers  salute  the 
patriarch  or  bishop  by  kissing  his  hand.  The  hand  is 
grasped  and  the  lips  pressed  to  the  back  of  it.  In  this  way 
the  Greek  church  maintain  the  apostolic  practice  and 
form  of  the  salutation  of  the  holy  kiss.” 

At  the  close  of  the  interview,  which  to  us  was  exceed- 
ingly interesting,  the  Patriarch,  when  he  knew  that  we 
intended  to  visit  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,  gave  us  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  the  bishop  of  the  church  at 
Smyrna,  which  afterward  proved  quite  helpful  to  us  in  our 
travels  among  the  churches  of  the  Apocalypse.  We  were 
also  kindly  invited  to  visit  the  ancient  library,  which  is 
rich  in  old  manuscripts  and  valuable  books. 

Other  travelers  who  have  visited  and  written  of  Jeru- 
salem also  refer  to  the  Greek  Patriarch  and  the  practice  of 
his  church.  Dr.  Henry  M.  Field,  who  witnessed  the  cere- 
mony of  the  washing  of  feet,  says:  “When  it  came  to  the 
feet-washing,  the  Patriarch,  laying  aside  his  costly  vest- 
ments, girded  himself  with  a towel,  in  imitation  of  his 
Divine  Master,  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  those  who 


* K.oru  16:  16;  1 Cor.  16:  20;  2 Cor.  13: 12;  1 Thess.  5:  26;  1 Peter  5: 14. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


579 


represented  the  apostles.”  Dr.  Schaff  also  witnessed  the 
feet-washing  during  Easter  week,  but  passes  it  without 
comment,  simply  referring  to  it  as  one  of  the  sights  in 
which  he  was  interested  at  Jerusalem. 

As  to  numbers,  wealth  and  influence,  the  Greek  church 
is  much  the  strongest  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  last  ten 
years  there  has  been  much  activity  in  the  old  church. 
New  churches  have  been  built,  notably  those  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  land  about  the  city  purchased;  and 
this  has  been  so  wisely  done  that  to-day  the  Greeks  have  a 
very  strong  hold  in  and  about  Jerusalem.  The  Russian 
Government,  the  nominal  head  of  the  church  in  Russia, 
is  back  of  the  Greeks  in  Jerusalem,  and  this  gives  them 
power  and  influence  that  they  would  not  otherwise  possess. 
The  native  members  are  mostly  Arabs  who  speak  the 
Arabic,  and  are  but  little  in  advance  of  the  native  Moham- 
medans in  intelligence.  The  ministers  speak  modern 
Greek,  and  come  from  the  Greek  islands.  Many  of  them 
are  well  educated. 

The  Greek,  or  more  properly  speaking  the  Eastern, 
church  is  the  source  of  the  Latin  or  Western  church,  now 
known  as  the  Roman  Catholic.  Christianity  was  estab- 
lished in  the  East,  and  the  Scriptures  were  written  in  the 
Greek  language.  The  first  church  services  were  also  con- 
ducted in  that  language.  After  Christianity  was  intro- 
duced into  Rome  and  other  parts  of  Europe  differences 
of  opinion  obtained  between  the  East  and  the  West.  The 
East,  always  conservative  and  slow  to  change,  clung  to 
apostolic  Christianity  long  after  it  had  been  entirely  aban- 
doned by  the  Latins  in  the  West.  At  first  there  were  five 
patriarchs:  the  bishops  of  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Alexandria, 
Constantinople,  and  Rome.  After  the  division  the  Patri- 
arch of  Rome  became  the  pope,  and  was  held  by  the 


580 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


Roman  church  to  have  supreme  power  over  all  the 
churches  as  the  representative  of  Christ. 

To  the  eastern  mind  the  idea  of  a pope  with  full 
ecclesiastical  and  plenary  power  was  repugnant.  In  the 
Greek  church  the  power  was  vested  in  the  patriarchs  and 
bishops,  and  the  claim  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  to  the 
supreme  control  of  all  the  churches  was  stoutly  denied 
and  repelled.  In  the  East  the  pope  was  held  as  a heretic. 
The  division  widened,  and  after  the  fifth  century  was 
strongly  manifest  in  the  councils.  Then  came  efforts  to 
reconcile  the  conflicting  elements,  but  without  success. 
At  length,  in  1054,  Pope  Leo  IX  excommunicated  the 
whole  Eastern  church.  The  division  had  been  complete 
before  this,  and  the  action  of  the  Roman  prelate  may  be 
regarded  as  a useless  display  of  power.  He  excommuni- 
cated those  who  for  centuries  did  not  hold  to  the  Roman 
church.  After  the  action  of  Leo  IX  efforts  were  again 
made  to  unite  the  Roman  and  Greek  churches,  but  failed. 
Among  other  points  of  differences  was  that  of  the  proces- 
sion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Greek  church  holding  that  it 
proceeds  from  the  Father  only,  while  the  Romans  taught  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  “proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.” 

The  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem  has  control  over  Syria,  the 
country  east  of  the  Jordan  known  as  Petra,  and  the  Sinaitic 
Peninsula.  Within  his  jurisdiction  there  are  seven  arch- 
bishops located  as  follows:  Cesarea,  Scythopolis,  Petra, 
Ptolemais,  Sinai,  Shechem  and  Samaria. 

The  orthodox  Greek  church  teaches  that  Christianity 
is  a divine  revelation  given  to  the  world  by  Christ;  the 
Bible  contains  its  saving  truth,  having  been  written 
through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  church 
interprets  the  Scriptures,  but  every  believer  should  read 
them.  Tradition  is  also  held  to  be  binding  on  the  church. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


58l 


God  is  a trinity,  the  Divine  essence  existing  in  three 
persons  equal  in  nature  and  dignity,  the  Father,  the  Son 
and  the  Holy  Ghost;  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  from  the 
Father  only. 

Man  was  created  with  immortality,  perfect  wisdom, 
and  a will  regulated  by  reason.  Through  the  first  sin 
Adam  and  his  posterity  lost  immortality  and  his  will  re- 
ceived a bias  toward  evil.  In  this  natural  state  man,  who 
even  before  he  actually  sins  is  a sinner  before  God  by 
original  or  inherited  sin,  commits  many  transgressions;  but 
is  not  entirely  without  power  of  will  toward  good,  and  is 
not  always  doing  evil. 

Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  became  man  in  two  natures, 
which,  inseparably  united,  make  One  Person,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  eternal  purpose  of  God,  has  obtained  reconcilia- 
tion with  God,  and  eternal  life.  Christ  by  his  vicarious 
suffering  has  made  satisfaction  to  God  for  the  world’s 
sins,  and  this  satisfaction  was  perfectly  commensurate  with 
the  sins  of  the  world.  Man  is  made  a partaker  of  the 
reconciliation  in  the  spiritual  regeneration  which  he  attains 
to,  being  led  and  kept  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  divine 
help  is  offered  to  all  men  without  distinction,  and  may  be 
rejected.  In  order  to  attain  to  salvation,  man  is  justified, 
and  when  so  justified  can  do  no  more  than  the  commands 
of  God.  He  may  fall  from  a state  of  grace  through  mor- 
tal sin. 

Regeneration  is  offered  by  the  Word  of  God  and  in 
the  sacraments,  which  under  visible  signs  communicate 
God’s  invisible  grace  to  Christians.  Baptism  entirely 
destroys  original  sin.  In  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  Com- 
munion the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are  substantially 
present,  and  all  Christians  should  rece've  them.  The  new 
birth,  when  lost,  may  be  restored  through  repentance. 


582 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


The  church  of  Christ  is  the  fellowship  of  all  those 
who  accept  and  profess  all  the  articles  of  faith  transmitted 
by  the  apostles  and  approved  by  the  General  Synods. 
Without  this  visible  church  there  is  no  salvation.  It  is 
under  the  abiding  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  there- 
fore cannot  err  in  matters  of  faith.  Specially  appointed 
persons  are  necessary  in  the  church,  and  they  form  a three- 
fold order,  distinct  from  other  Christians,  of  bishops, 
priests  and  deacons.  The  four  patriarchs,  of  equal  dignity, 
have  the  highest  rank  among  the  bishops,  and  the  bishops 
united  in  a General  Council,  represent  the  church,  and 
infallibly  decide,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
all  matters  of  faith  and 'ecclesiastical  life.  All  ministers  of 
Christ  must  be  regularly  called  and  appointed  to  their 
office,  and  are  consecrated  by  the  sacrament  of  orders. 
Bishops  must  be  unmarried,  and  ministers  and  deacons 
must  not  marry  the  second  time.  To  all  ministers  in  com- 
mon belongs,  besides  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  the 
administration  of  the  six  Sacraments, — Baptism,  Confirma- 
tion, Penance,  Eucharist,  Matrimony,  Anointing  the  Sick 
with  Oil.  The  bishops  alone  can  administer  the  Sacrament 
of  Orders,  i.  e.,  laying  on  of  hands  and  ordaining  ministers. 
Monks  are  alone  eligible  for  election  as  bishops,  and  from 
the  bishops  the  patriarchs  are  selected.* 

The  number  of  adherents  to  the  Greek  church  can  be 
given  only  approximately.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  a 
correct  census  is  never  taken  among  eastern  peoples.  The 
following  figures  will  be  found  not  far  from  correct: 


Russia,  including  Poland,  Siberia  and  the  Caucasus, 58,000,000 

Turkey, 10,000,000 

Austria, 3,000,000 

Roumania, 4,529,000 

Servia,  Montenegro,  Greece 2,785,000 

All  other  countries, 10,492,000 

Total, 88,806,000 


♦“Encyclopedia  Britannica,”  under  “Greek  Church,”  page  159. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


583 


In  round  numbers  it  may  be  stated  that  there  are  now 
ninety  million  adherents  to  the  Greek  church,  more  than 
half  of  whom  are  to  be  found  in  Russia.  While  there  is 
much  formalism  among  these  people,  and  while  they  have 
permitted  many  innovations  to  creep  into  their  church, 
they  still  cling  with  considerable  tenacity  to  many  of  the 
apostolic  practices. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


Homeward  Bound.— Down  to  Jaffa. — The  Last  View  of  Canaan. — Mt 
Carmel. — Elijah  and  Elisha. — Tyre  and  Sidon. — Antioch. — Tarsus 
— Smyrna,  and  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia. — Greece. — Athens. — 
Corinth. — Patros. — Rome  Again. — Sailing  from  Genoa. — A Hurri- 
cane.— New  York. 


/w 

iiJfND  now  the  time  has  come  when  we  must  say 
*Fc‘ y1.  farewell  to  the  Holy  City.  The  weeks  we  have 

■-r- 

• w''-  spent  here  have  been  full  of  interest  and  of  profit 
to  us,  and  we  shall  not  soon  forget  them.  Anxious  as  we 
are  to  continue  our  homeward  journey  and  meet  again  the 
loved  ones  waiting  for  us,  we  turn  away  from  Jerusalem 
with  some  degree  of  reluctance.  We  wish  we  had  more 
time  to  spend  in  walking  about  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the 
City  of  David  and  learning  more  of  the  old,  old  story 
which  she  reveals  to  all  who  come  here  to  learn.  But  the 
end  must  come.  We  take  a last  walk  about  the  city,  fare- 
wells are  said,  and  we  go  away  feeling  that  we  shall  see 
Jerusalem  no  more. 

We  had  arranged  to  go  down  to  Jaffa  by  carriage, 
preferring  this  to  the  railway.  Very  early  in  the  morning 
we  go  out  of  the  Jaffa  Gate  and  find  a comfortable  carriage 
waiting  for  us.  Our  friends  come  out  to  wish  us  a safe 
journey.  Even  our  beggar  boys  are  on  hand  and  seem  as 
hearty  in  their  good  wishes  as  any  in  the  company.  The 
driver  takes  his  place  and,  touching  his  Arabian  horses 
lightly  with  the  lash,  we  are  off  for  the  seaside.  We  see 
the  last  of  the  walls  of  the  city  as  we  turn  into  the  street 

584 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


585 


of  the  new  Jerusalem.  It  is  a bright,  beautiful  day.  The 
sun  shines  quite  warm,  and  the  air  is  bracing  and  just  cool 
enough  not  to  be  oppressive.  With  a comfortable  carriage 
and  a well-filled  lunch-box,  put  up  for  us  by  our  host  of 
the  New  Hotel,  we  have  all  the  requisites  for  a pleasant 
forty-mile  drive.  Since  we  passed  over  the  road  nine 
years  ago  it  has  been  graded  and  macadamized,  and  the 
roadbed  is  as  smooth  and  as  solid  as  a floor.  With  all 
these  favorable  conditions  it  may  well  be  imagined  that 
our  drive  from  Jerusalem  to  Jaffa  was  delightfully  pleasant. 

The  country  passed  over  is  full  of  historic  interest,  but 
it  is  not  our  purpose  to  enter  into  a description  of  the 
route,  as  that  has  already  been  done.*  At  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  of  Judea  we  stop  to  rest  our  horses  and  eat  our 
noonday  lunch.  Then  crossing  over  the  plain  of  Ajalon  we 
reach  Ramleh,  where  we  halt  again  for  rest.  Here  we  cross 
the  railway  and  then  continue  our  journey  across  the 
Plain  of  Sharon.  Late  in  the  evening  we  reach  Jaffa  and 
are  ready  to  depart  on  the  morrow  for  Smyrna.  The 
clouds  again  obscure  the  sky,  and  the  next  morning  the 
rain  is  falling. 

Here  at  Jaffa  we  have  another  illustration  of  so-called 
Turkish  justice,  and  of  the  cruelty  of  these  people.  Dur- 
ing the  night  a house  near  our  hotel  was  broken  into  and 
in  the  morning  the  officers  arrested  a young  Arab,  charging 
him  with  the  crime.  The  only  evidence  against  him  was 
that  he  was  a stranger  in  the  town.  They  bound  the  poor 
fellow’s  hands  behind  him  with  cords,  tying  them  so  tight 
that  circulation  was  impeded.  Then  they  tied  him  to  a 
post  near  the  place  where  the  burglary  had  been  commit- 
ted. There  the  poor  fellow  stood  in  the  rain  until  he  was 
wet  to  the  skin  and  shivering  with  the  cold.  About  noon 


* “ Europe  and  Bible  Lands.1 


586 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


an  official  came  up  to  him  and  asked  him  some  questions. 
The  answers  did  not  seem  to  suit  him,  and  he  flew  into  a 
great  rage  and  struck  the  prisoner  a number  of  blows 
with  his  fist.  After  he  had  been  standing  there  about 
seven  hours  he  was  taken  away  and  put  into  an  old  build- 
ing, and  we  saw  no  more  of  him. 

At  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  get  into  the  small 
rowboat  and  are  taken  away  from  Jaffa  to  the  steamer 
Saturno,  which  is  lying  at  anchor  nearly  a mile  from  the 
shore.  The  wind  is  high  and  the  rough  sea  tosses  our 
boat  about  in  a way  that  is  anything  but  pleasant.  We  are 
forcibly  reminded  of  the  experience  of  Jonah,  but  at  last 
we  reach  the  ship  in  safety,  none  the  worse  for  the  trip, 
save  a wetting  from  the  spray  of  the  sea.  The  Saturno  is 
to  be  our  home  for  an  eight-day  cruise  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean, and  we  find  her  to  be  a staunch  boat,  strong  enough 
for  the  buffetings  of  the  rough  winter  sea. 

At  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  hoist  anchor  and 
are  away  for  Smyrna.  In  the  soft  evening  twilight  we 
watch  the  receding  shores  of  Canaan.  Jaffa  is  lost  to 
sight,  the  coast  line  grows  dimmer  and  dimmer,  and  the 
hills  of  Judea,  reflecting  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun, 
fade  away  and  are  lost  in  the  gloom  of  coming  night. 
During  the  evening  we  reach  the  port  of  Haifa,  where  we 
stop  to  land  and  take  on  passengers. 

Yonder  dark,  mountain-like  bluff,  forcing  its  way  into 
the  sea,  is  the  terminus  of  Mt.  Carmel.  Here  it  was  that 
the  prophet  Elijah  entered  into  a contest  with  the  priests 
of  Baal  and  came  out  with  such  a grand  victory.  To  the 
top  of  this  very  bluff  the  servant  of  the  man  of  God  came 
seven  times,  looking  out  over  the  sea  for  the  first  indica- 
tion of  the  coming  rain,  and  at  last  reported  to  his  master, 
“ Behold,  there  ariseth  a little  cloud  out  of  the  sea,  like  a 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


587 


man’s  hand;”*  and  very  soon  the  heavens  were  overcast 
with  black,  threatening  clouds.  The  rain  came  down  in 
torrents  and  the  three  years’  drought  was  broken.  Here 
too  Elisha,  the  successor  of  Elijah,  had  his  home,  and  it 
was  to  this  place  that  the  Shunammite  woman  came  in  sore 
distress  because  of  the  death  of  her  boy.f 

Skirting  the  base  of  Carmel  we  sail  along  the  coast  of 
ancient  Phoenicia,  passing  by  Tyre  and  Sidon,  both  places 
of  much  interest  to  Bible  students.  Even  in  passing  one 
cannot  help  recalling  the  wonderful  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecy concerning  the  City  of  Tyre:  “Therefore  thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  Behold,  I am  against  thee,  O Tyrus,  and  will 
cause  many  nations  to  come  up  against  thee,  as  the  sea 
causeth  his  waves  to  come  up.  And  they  shall  destroy 
the  walls  of  Tyrus,  and  break  down  her  towers:  I will  also 
scrape  her  dust  from  her,  and  make  her  like  the  top  of  a 
rock.  It  shall  be  a place  for  the  spreading  of  nets  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea.”J 

Alexander  the  Great,  when  he  besieged  Tyre,  actually 
scraped  the  earth  from  the  rocks  of  the  ruins  of  the  old 
city  to  form  a roadway  to  carry  on  the  attack  against  the 
new  town,  and  the  ancient  Tyre  was  made  “like  the  top  of 
a rock.”  The  great  city  was  destroyed  centuries  ago,  and 
for  centuries  was  a mere  fishing  village.  When  Volney 
visited  the  place  some  yrears  ago  he  wrote:  “The  whole 
village  of  Tyre  contains  only  fifty  or  sixty  poor  families, 
who  live  obscurely  on  the  produce  of  their  little  and 
trilling  fishery.”§  Bruce  describes  Tyre  as  a place  “where 
fishermen  spread  their  nets  to  dry.”  Tyre  is  now  a consid- 
erable village,  but  to-day  it  is  a place  for  the  spreading  of 

* 1 Kings  18:  44. 

1 2 Kings  4:  22-37. 

tEzek.  26:  3-5. 

§Volney’s  “Ruins.” 


588  WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 

nets  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  How  literally  have  the  words 
of  the  prophet  been  fulfilled,  and  who  can  doubt  the 
inspiration  of  his  words! 

In  the  early  morning  we  cast  anchor  off  Beyrut  and 
have  a beautiful  view  of  the  Mountains  of  Lebanon.  A 
short  stop  here  and  then  we  sail  away  to  the  north  to  the 
port  of  Antioch,  where  Paul  and  Barnabas  did  such  effec- 
tual missionary  work,  and  where  the  disciples  were  first 
called  Christians.  The  city,  once  noted  for  its  beauty  and 
prosperity,  is  now  a village  of  huts  built  with  mud  and 
straw.  The  people  live  by  the  produce  of  the  mulberry 
trees.  They  also  engage  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco, 
which,  it  is  said,  is  of  very  fine  quality.  The  place  contains 
about  six  thousand  souls. 

From  Antioch  our  course  takes  us  to  Iskonderoon,  a 
seaport  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Mediterranean,  not 
far  from  Aleppo.  Here  travelers  for  Mesopotamia,  the 
Euphrates  and  Tigris  usually  land  and  continue  their 
journey  by  caravan  route  to  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  cross- 
ing the  Great  Arabian  Desert  before  reaching  the  site  of 
these  ancient  cities  of  the  Bible. 

The  port  of  Tarsus,  the  birthplace  of  the  Apostle  Paul, 
is  our  next  stopping-place.  When  Saul  was  born  Tarsus 
was  “no  mean  city,”  for  it  had  nearly  one  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  But  the  people  were  vain  and  luxurious 
in  their  habits.  They  lived  for  pleasure  and  their  motto 
was  doubtless  the  words  which  Paul  quotes,  “Let  us  eat 
and  drink;  for  to  morrow  we  die.”*  The  city  was  at  one 
time  the  metropolis  of  Cilicia  and  stood  in  a fertile  plain 
on  either  bank  of  the  river  Cydnus,  twelve  miles  from  its 
mouth.  It  is  now  much  decayed,  is  full  of  ruins,  and  con- 
tains a Turkish  population  of  seven  thousand,  in  the 


* i Cor.  15:  32. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


589 


summer  when  it  is  excessively  hot,  and  of  twenty-five 
thousand  during  the  winter  months.  During  the  hot 
weather  many  of  the  people  retire  to  the  Tarsus  moun- 
tains, a short  distance  from  the  place. 

From  Tarsus  our  course  lay  by  the  island  of  Rhodes. 
Mere  we  had  an  actual  experience  of  what  the  Mediterra- 
nean can  do  in  time  of  storm.  Our  little  ship  was  very 
unsteady,  and  the  writer,  for  the  first  time  on  the  journey, 
succumbed  to  seasickness.  Rhodes  is  passed  by,  also 
Chios,  Samos,  the  island  of  Patinos,  and  after  eight  days 
voyaging  on  the  “great  sea,”  we  land  at  Smyrna  and  find 
a home  at  the  same  hotel,  with  the  same  proprietor,  at 
which  we  lodged  when  we  were  here  nine  years  ago.  The 
three  weeks  spent  in  this  part  of  Asia  Minor  included  a 
visit  to  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia.  We  found  the  Arch- 
bishop at  Smyrna  a very  pleasant,  fatherly  man.  Our 
letter  of  introduction  from  Jerusalem  gave  us  a cordial 
reception  both  here  and  at  Philadelphia.  Our  interviews 
with  the  bishops  in  Asia  Minor  resulted  in  about  what  has 
already  been  given  as  the  result  of  our  talk  with  the  Patri- 
arch of  Jerusalem. 

Taking  Smyrna  as  a starting-point,  the  Seven  Churches 
of  Asia  are  situated  the  following  distances  from  the  city: 


Ephesus,.. 
Pergamos, 
Thyatira,  . 


48  miles 
128  miles 
1 16  miles 


Sardis 77  miles 

Philadelphia, 105  miles 

Laodicea, 156  miles 


Except  Laodicea  these  were  all  visited  in  turn,  and, 
except  Philadelphia  and  Smyrna,  all  the  places  are  in 
ruins.  At  Pergamos,  Ephesus,  Philadelphia  and  Sardis 
remains  of  the  ancient  churches  are  to  be  seen,  but  at  the 
other  places  all  traces  have  been  obliterated. 

Again  taking  ship  at  Smyrna,  we  sail  away  for  sunny 
Greece,  where  we  spend  some  time  in  Athens.  We  revisit 


590 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


the  fallen  temples,  Mars’  Hill,  the  Acropolis  and  other 
places  of  interest.  Then  by  rail  we  go  to  Corinth,  the  site 
of  the  ancient  church  to  which  Paul  addressed  the  two 
Epistles  to  the  Corinthians.  Corinth  was  in  Paul’s  time 
one  of  the  most  populous  and  wealthy  cities  of  Greece. 
But  its  riches  produced  pride,  ostentation,  and  all  the  vices 
that  come  with  great  wealth  not  consecrated  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  good.  Lasciviousness  and  lust  of  the 
vilest  description  were  not  only  tolerated,  but  consecrated 
here  by  the  worship  of  the  goddess  Venus.  In  the  name 
of  the  goddess  sensuality  reigned  supreme.  It  was  about 
A.  D.  52  when  Paul  reached  Corinth  the  first  time  on  his 
missionary  tour.  After  preaching  to  the  Areopagites  on 
Mars’  Hill  he  “departed  from  Athens,  and  came  to 
Corinth.”*  Here  he  found  Aquila  and  his  wife  Priscilla, 
tent-makers,  and  he  lodged  with  them,  working  at  his 
trade  and  supporting  himself.  He  spent  a year  and  a 
half  in  the  city,  preaching  the  Word  of  Truth  and  turning 
many  people  to  Christ.  During  this  visit  to  Corinth  he 
wrote  the  Epistle  to  the  Thcssalonians.  A few  years  later 
he  visited  the  church  here  again,  and  it  was  during  this 
latter  visit  that  he  wrote  the  Letter  to  the  Romans. 

Silvanus  and  Timotheus  joined  Paul  at  Corinth  and 
assisted  him  in  his  important  work.  When  he  pressed  the 
great  central  truth  of  Christianity,  “that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ,”  upon  the  Jews,  they  opposed  him  and  blasphemed, 
and  the  apostle  said  to  them,  “Your  blood  be  upon  your 
own  heads;  1 am  clean:  from  henceforth  I will  go  unto 
the  Gentiles. ”f  Among  the  Gentiles  he  met  with  much 
success  and  soon  organized  a church.  Apollos  followed 


* Acts  18: 1. 
t Act?  18: 6. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  591 

him  in  his  labors  at  Corinth  and  Aquila  and  Sosthenes  were 
among  the  early  ministers  in  the  church  at  that  place. 

The  once  proud  City  of  Corinth  is  now  but  a wretched 
modern  village.  Seven  columns  of  an  exceedingly  ancient 
temple  of  the  Doric  order  are  the  only  ruins  that  are  left 
to  bear  witness  to  the  departed  greatness  of  the  old  Greek 
city. 

At  Corinth  we  have  an  opportunity  to  see  the  new 
ship  canal  now  nearing  completion.  The  isthmus  is 
pierced  and  the  waters  of  the  gulfs  of  Lepanto  and 
Aegina  are  united.  Periander,  of  Corinth  (B.  C.  625), 
was  the  first  to  suggest  the  canal,  and  work  was  actually 
begun  on  this  important  water  way  by  the  Roman  Emperor 
Nero.  The  belief  that  there  was  a difference  in  the  water 
level  of  the  two  gulfs  caused  its  abandonment.  Not  until 
1881  was  the  work  again  undertaken.  The  French,  flushed 
with  the  success  of  the  Suez  Canal,  undertook  this,  and  it 
was  finally  completed  and  opened  to  traffic  Aug.  6,  1893. 
The  length  of  the  canal  is  only  about  four  miles,  and  yet 
it  cost  the  enormous  sum  of  thirteen  and  a half  million 
dollars.  It  is  seventy-five  feet  wide  and  the  depth  of 
water  is  twenty-six  and  four-tenths  feet.  It  shortens  the 
distance  from  the  Adriatic  to  Asia  Minor  ports  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  miles. 

From  Corinth  the  road  skirts  the  waters  of  the  gulf 
and  the  scenery  is  beautiful.  The  farmers,  men  and 
women,  are  busily  engaged  in  their  vineyards,  spading  the 
ground  and  pruning  the  vines.  In  this  part  of  Greece  is 
grown  the  fruit  known  as  the  Zante  currants  of  commerce, 
which  are  largely  used  in  the  United  States.  They  are  not 
currants,  but  small  grapes  growing  on  vines,  and  are  dried 
very  much  the  same  as  raisins  are  prepared  for  market. 


592 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


During  the  afternoon  as  we  are  crossing  Greece  the 
sky  becomes  overcast  with  clouds,  and  when  we  reach 
Patros,  the  end  of  our  railway  journey,  the  rain  is  coming 
down  in  torrents.  We  are  quickly  transferred  from  the 
depot  to  the  steamer  Venus,  and  in  a few  hours  we 
steam  away  for  Corfu  and  Brindisi.  A pleasant  voyage 
of  twenty-four  hours  and  we  land  in  Italy  again;  then 
taking  an  express  train  we  reach  the  Eternal  City  in 
twenty-four  hours.  At  Rome  we  receive  our  long-delayed 
mail,  and  we  have  the  first  news  from  home  for  many 
weeks.  The  letters  contain  cheering  news  of  good  health, 
and  our  hearts  beat  high  with  hopes  of  soon  reaching  home 
again. 

Ten  days  are  spent  in  the  Imperial  City.  The  Cata- 
combs, the  Coliseum,  the  Forum,  the  Pincian  Hill,  the 
Halls  of  Caesar,  St.  Peter’s,  the  Vatican  and  other  places 
are  revisited.  At  the  Vatican  we  saw  the  Pope  surrounded 
by  all  the  pomp  of  royalty.  Then  by  rail  we  hurry  on. 
Passing  Pisa  with  its  leaning  tower  we  are  again  in  Genoa 
and  on  board  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  ready  for  the  hour  of 
sailing  to  come.  Capt.  Stormer  bids  us  welcome,  and  we 
meet  a number  of  the  passengers  who  came  over  on  the 
Kaiser  in  November.  At  high  noon  we  steam  away  from 
Genoa  and  set  our  faces  homeward.  We  sail  along  the 
coast  of  Italy  and  Spain  and  cast  anchor  for  a few  hours 
again  at  the  beetling  rock  of  Gibraltar.  And  then  steering 
westward  we  steam  away  for  the  port  of  New  York. 
Capt.  Stormer,  to  show  his  passengers  a pleasure,  steered 
the  ship  close  to  the  south  side  of  one  of  the  Azores 
Islands.  * It  was  a pleasant  sight  to  see  the  beautiful 
villages,  the  green  fields,  and  other  evidences  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  people  living  here  on  the  small  islands  far  out 
in  the  Atlantic. 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS.  593 

From  the  Azores  we  had  a pleasant  voyage  with  the 
exception  of  a two  days’  storm  and  an  experience  of  only 
a few  hours  with  a hurricane.  The  wind  had  been  blowing 
a gale  from  the  southwest  and  the  ship  rolled  and  pitched 
heavily.  About  four  in  the  afternoon  a heavy  thunder- 
storm came  up  and  the  wind  veered  to  the  northwest. 
The  captain  immediately  changed  the  course  of  the  ship, 
placing  the  prow  in  face  of  the  oncoming  hurricane.  We 
were  in  the  gentlemen’s  room  on  deck.  The  atmosphere 
took  on  a yellow,  copperish  hue,  and  then  the  storm  struck 
the  ship.  The  wind  blew  at  the  rate  of  eighty  miles  an 
hour.  Such  was  the  pressure  of  the  wind  that  it  bore 
the  waves  down.  As  we  watched  this  war  of  the  elements, 
suddenly  sea  line  and  sky  line  were  obliterated.  The 
wind  had  assumed  the  form  of  a cyclone  and  was  lifting  and 
whirling  the  water  in  the  air.  The  ship  was  enveloped 
in  spray  and  water.  Several  heavy  peals  of  thunder  added 
to  the  noise  of  the  raging  elements.  The  wind  blew  with 
such  force  that  the  ship  made  but  little  progress.  The  fog 
horn  was  sounded,  and  for  about  a quarter  of  an  hour  we 
had  the  continuous  roar  of  the  fog  signal.  Then  the  storm 
cloud  broke  away,  the  wind  abated  and  the  ship  again 
resumed  her  course.  She  had  weathered  the  hurricane 
gallantly,  and  well  she  might,  for  she  was  built  for  storms. 
To  us  it  was  a new  experience  at  sea. 

The  rest  of  the  homeward  voyage  was  uneventful,  and 
at  last  we  are  steaming  into  the  harbor  of  New  York. 
Yonder  floats  the  flag  over  the  land  of  the  free.  At  quar- 
antine we  stop  to  take  on  board  the  health  and  revenue 
officers.  The  revenue  boat  brings  mail  for  the  passengers, 
and  how  eager  all  are  to  receive  news.  Here  is  a letter 
from  my  dear  wife,  postmarked  at  Philadelphia,  and  I 


594 


WANDERINGS  IN  BIBLE  LANDS. 


know  without  breaking  the  seal  that  in  a few  hours  she  will 
meet  me  at  the  wharf  in  New  York. 

There  are  experiences  that  lay  so  close  to  our  hearts 
that  we  are  loath  to  speak  or  write  about  them.  They  are 
treasured  as  memories  that  live  in  our  heart  of  hearts. 
Such  an  experience  was  my  home  coming  and  the  meeting 
with  my  beloved  life  companion  with  whom  I have  jour- 
neyed for  more  than  a quarter  of  a century.  Over  it  all 
I drop  the  veil  of  silence  as  I write  the  closing  words  of 
this  volume.  God  is  good,  and,  oh,  how  good  he  has  been 
to  us! 


Scriptural  Index, 


rb- 


Genesis  3:  19 183 


J-  

12:  t 

*°5 

109 

12:  10 

22: 17 

513 

23: 17, 18  . . . 

510 

23: 19 

4$ 

2V.  20 

25:8, 9 ...  . 

45 

25:3^-34  • • ■ 

“ 

30:37-43  • • ■ 

445 

3l:  49  

547 

“ 

37:  24  

553 

*' 

37:  34  

169 

*• 

41 : 45 

333 

“ 

42:2 

“ 

46:  29  

366 

“ 

47:3 

387 

“ 

47:  5,  6 ...  . 

in.  384 

11 

47:  6 

384.  388 

" 

50:  2 

50:2,  3 ...  . 

183 

44 

50:  26 

183 

Exodus 

1:7 

3S7 

1:8 

232,  254 

1: 10 

231 

1:11 

363.  366 

1:  13,  14  . . . 

367 

1:14 

. . . 142,  230,  371 

2:23 

232,  234 

3:  5 

358 

’ 3-  10 

232 

5:2  

253 

5:i2 

37i 

8:  19 

253 

1 1 : 1 

11:4, 5 .... 

12:  29 

239 

12:31, 32  . . . 

263 

14: 2 

437.  440 

14:3 

437.  44i 

14: 5 

14:  9,  10  ...  . 

441 

4 1 

14: 10 

437 

«l 

14:  21,  22  . . . 

44i 

595 


Exodus  14:  22 425 

“ 14:  27,  28 264 

“ 14:  28 442 

“ 14:  3° 264,  425 

“ *5: 1-19 425 

“ 15:23,24 428 

15:25 431 

“ 16: 1 448 

“ 16:  2 448 

" 16:3 389.  448 

“ 19:  2 449 

" J9: 11  454 

“ 19:16-18 452 

“ 21:33,34 553 

“ 27:  20  551 

“ 32:  4 160 

35;  23 486 

Leviticus  6:  10,  11 569 

" 10:  6 168 

“ n:33 329 

“ 13:  22 380 

Numbers  1:3 387 

“ 33:  2-8 436 

“ 33=  5 366 

“ 33:  6 436 

“ 33:  10 447 

Deuteronomy  6:  4 348 

“ 6:  11 548 

" 7:  13 549 

“ 9:  12 161 

“ 11: 10,  11 149 

11:  11 266,  501 

“ n:  14 549 

12:  17 549 

24:  20 550 

28:  40 548,  549 

Joshua  9:  4 523 

“ 9:  13 523 

“ 10:  1,  2 198 

“ 10:  3 194 

“ 10:  9 201 

“ 10:  16 201 

“ ic:  23,  26  . 201 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX 


596 


Joshua  11 : 1 194 

“ IS:  8 502 

Judges  3:  3i 493 

Ruth  4: 1-12 510 

1 Samuel  4:  18 511 

“ 17:  34-37  504 

2 Samuel  3:27  511 

“ 4: 18 511 

“ 5: 18 502 

“ 5:  20 502 

“ 5:25 ‘ i°2 

“ 15:6 5« 

“ IS:  3o 534 

" 18:5 5ii 

“ 18:  24-33 512 

1 Kings  5: 17.  18 534 

“ 8: 1,  23,  27 535 

“ 14:  25 232 

“ 14:  2$,  26  221 

“ l8:  44 586 

“ 18:  44.  45  557 

“ 18:44-46 1 1 5 

2 Kings  3:  27 546 

" 4: 22-37 587 

" 23:  29 232 

“ 2;:  7 372 

1 Chronicles  .8:  12 494 

“ 27:  27 572 

“ 27:  28 549 

2 Chronicles  32:  28 549 

Nehemiah  11:35  ^ 494 

Job  2:  12 169 

“ 28:  1-11 444 

“ 28: 19 285 

Psalms  18:  42 5'7 

“ 19: 1, 2 106 

“ 23: 1,  2 500 

“ 23:  4 5oo 

“ 39:4 89 

“ 40:  2 553 

“ 44: 14 559 

“ 68:  31 285 

“ 78:  12 380 

“ 104:32 89 

“ 118:  22 126 

“ 119: 176 501 

“ 129:  6,  7 482 

“ 136: i5  264 

Proverbs  25:  25 324 

“ 27: 15  482 

“ 28: 10 553 

“ 3o:  33 524 

Ecclesiastes  12:  5 ...........  168 


Isaiah  11:  15  . . 144 

“ 14: 16-19 154 

“ 14:  18  225,  247 

“ 17:  6 550 

“ 19:  6,  7 178 

“ 19:  19 112 

“ 19:  19-25 : . • 465 

“ 22:  23 563 

“ 3°:  14 329.  559 

“ 32:  2 224 

" 36:  6 199 

“ 37:  27 483 

“ 40:  11 500 

“ 52:  4 248 

“ 53=  2 74.  80 

“ 54:  14 80 

“ 55:i 116 

“ 63:  2,  3 57i 

Jeremiah  18: 1-6 328 

“ 31:38-40 566 

“ 31:40 568,570 

“ 42:  I5-I7 373 

" 43:  2 373 

'•  43=  5-7 373 

“ 43:  8-1 1 374 

" 43:  13 343 

•'  44:  3o 372 

“ 46:  7,  8 144 

“ 46:  49 »52.  457 

Lamentations  1:  1 545 

Ezekiel  4:9 522 

•*  42: 15 559 

“ 26:  3-5 587 

“ 29:  3,  6 324 

“ 29: 10 271 

'*  30:  4.  7 285 

“ 30:  4,  8,  13-18 324 

“ 30:  13 326 

“ 30:  14 382 

“ 30: 16 218 

Daniel  6:  10 5*8 

Hosea  14:  6 548 

Joel  1: 10 549 

“ 2:  24 548 

“ 3:  10 493 

Amos  9:  9 559 

Micah  7:  14 5°o 

Nahum  3:  8,  9 215 

“ 3:9 285 

Zephaniah  1:5 483 

Zechariah  2:  4 566 

“ 44;  10  566 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX 


597 


Matthew  2:  15  no 

“ 7:  14  • - 513 

“ 8:  2-4 532 

“ 12:11 553 

“ 16:18 513 

“ 18: 12 501 

21:  5 536 

“ 21:9 537 

“ 21:33 572 

“ 23:  27 541 

23:  37-39  542 

“ 24:2 67 

'*  26:  6-13 534 

" 26:  38 S3* 

“ 27:  59,  60 46 

“ 28:  19 576 

Mark  2:  4 481 

“ 10:  47 487 

Luke  2:  8 547 

“ 5:  37.  38 523 

" 9:  62 492 

" 10:  38-42 554 

“ 12:  3 483 

“ 13:25 5i3 

14:  5 553 

“ 21:24 563 

22:  44 538 

24:  50,  51 555 

“ 24: 52 545 

John  2:  14 521 

" 10:  3-5 499 

“ 10:  11 501 

“ 10:  14 499 

“ 11 554 

" m3 555 

“ 11:  n 40 

“ 11:18 554 

“ 11:21 555 

“ 11:  25,  26 556 

“ 1 1 : 38 46,  554 

“ 11:43 556 

“ 13 577 

“ 13:  1 , • • 526 

“ 13:  9 527 

“ 13:  14.  15 527 

“ i3'-  i7 527 

13:  34.  35  527 

“ 15: 1.  2,  6 573 

Acts  1:  9-12 545 

' 8:  27 285 


Acts  9: 32  ...  . 

“ 9:32-35  

494 

“ 9=  33  

“ 9:  39  

484 

“ 10: 5 

478 

“ 10:6 

“ 10: 9 

478 

" 18: 1 

59° 

" iS:  6 

590 

" 27:  13  

“ 28:  13,  14 

52 

“ 28:  15  

51 

“ 28:  16  

56 

“ 28:  30,  31 

...  29,  57 

Romans  9:  20,  21 

“ 11:17 

“ 11:  24  

549 

“ 11:  25,  26  

563 

“ 16:  12  

65 

“ 16:  16  

578 

1 Corinthians  7 

163 

n:5 

321 

“ 15:  6 

40 

“ 15:  32  ...  . 

00 

i5:33  ■ • • • 

“ 16:20  .... 

578 

2 Corinthians  13:  12  .... 

578 

Philippians  1 : 12,  13  . . . . 

57 

“ i:i3 

66 

“ 1:  20,  21  ...  . 

...  58,  60 

“ 2: 23,  24  ...  . 

“ 4:  22 

66 

Colossians  4:  12 

66 

1 Thessalonians  4:14  ... 

40 

" 4:  15  ■ • • 

40 

" 5:26  ..  . 

578 

2 Timothy  4:  6-8 

“ 4:  16 

“ 4.  21 

Philemon  1:  10 

66 

M i:22 

60 

" 1:23 

66 

Hebrews  1 : 1 

“ 9:  19 

478 

“ 11:25 

154 

“ 11: 28 

163 

1 Peter  3: 14 • ' . 

578 

Revelation  14:  20 

572 

“ 19:15  • • 

ustidieih: 


Abbott  Papyrus 246 

Abd  er-Rasul  brothers 234 

Abu-Sir 321 

Abydos,  ruins  of 211 

Abydos  Tablet 213 

Adonizedek  to  king  of  Egypt  ....  196 

Agape,  picture  of 5° 

Agates  322 

Aground  at  Dekkeh 297 

Ahmed  Abd  er-Rasul,  visit  to  ....  249 

Alexandria 414,  417 

Alexandria,  library  of 414 

Alexandria,  St.  Mark  at 415 

Alexandria,  church  at 415 

Alexandria,  first  Christian  school  at  . 414 
Alexandrian  Library,  destruction  of . . 416 

American  Colony,  the 564 

Amherst  Papyrus 246 

Ampliatus 6; 

Antioch 588 

Apis,  sacred  bulls  of 158 

Appian  Way 51 

Appii  Forum 54 

Arab  kindness  to  animals 177 

Arch  of  Titus 68 

Ash  heap,  a great 569 

Assiut 205 

Assuan 271 

Assuan  center  of  caravan  trade  ....  272 

Asia  and  Africa 432 

Ata-Kah  mountains 427 

Baptistry  at  Pisa 27 

Baptism  in  Coptic  church 334 

Barbrosa,  village  of 320 

Bedrachin 158 

Begging  in  Italy 98 

Beggars,  our 5J3 

Beni  Hassan  180 

Beni  Hassan,  tombs  at 188 

Beni  Hassan,  work  at 191 

Bethany,  a visit  to 5r3 

BU  I;  lands,  advantage  of  travel  in  . . 108 

Bible  knowledge,  lack  of 343 

Bible  history,  confirmation  of 202 

Bisharin,  the 273 

598 


Bitter  Lakes 422 

Bittir 497 

Blind,  the,  in  Palestine 487 

Bottle  mender,  a 523 

Brick-making 230 

Bricks  without  straw 368 

Brick  work  of  Pharaoh’s  house  in  Tah- 

panhes 375 

Brick  makers  at  work 394 

Brick-making,  picture  representing  . . 395 
Burning  the  dead  at  Rome  in  Paul’s 

time 40,  62 

Burning  of  Rome  by  Nero 58 

Buried  cities,  discovery  of 364 

Cairo 112,  330,  331 

Cairo,  leaving 419 

Cairo,  street  scenes  in 113 

Camel  ride,  a 274 

Camel,  the 274 

Camel  Corps,  the 319 

Campo  Santo  at  Genoa 25 

Catacombs  at  Rome 34 

Catacombs,  extent  of 46 

Catacombs,  bird 394 

Catacombs  at  Alexandria 417 

Cemetery  at  Assiut 207 

Chicago  Board  of  Trade  compared  with 

the  Egyptians 269 

Christ,  head  of 74 

Christ,  oortrait  of 76 

Christ,  statue  of  at  Cesarea 83 

Christ,  second  coming  of 124 

Christ,  figure  of 318 

Christian  persecution 59 

Chrysostom  on  Paul 57 

Churches  and  Cathedrals  at  Rome  . . 71 
Church  and  Mosque  side  by  side  . . . 458 

Churning 524 

Circumcision  in  Coptic  church  ....  336 

Cisterns  or  pits 552 

Coffins,  kinds  of . 185 

Coliseum 32 

Colossi  of  Memnon 254 

Columbaria 62 

Consular  Road 54 

Convent  at  Gebel  et-Tir 192 


INDEX, 


Convent  at  Sinai,  visit  to 

Coptic  monastery  and  church 

Copts,  the 

Coptic  church,  a visit  to 

Coptic  church,  patriarch  of 

Coptic  belief  as  to  nature  of  Christ  . . 

Coptic  church,  conflict  in 

Coptic  church,  claims  of  patriarch  in  . 
Coptic  church  troubles  settled  .... 

Corinth 

Crete 

Crocodiles  . 290, 

Crossing  the  Red  Sea,  where 

Crossing  the  Red  Sea,  views  as  to  . . . 

Date  palm,  the 

Dead,  mourning  for  the  • • • 

Death  at  sea 

Deir-el-Bahari 

Delta  of  the  Nile 

Dervishes,  Dancing  and  Howling  . . . 

Dervishes  are  Moslem  monks 

Destruction  of  Jerusalem 

Dishonest  milkmen 

Donkey  riding 

Donkeys  and  donkey-boys 

Dorcas,  house  of 

Dorcas,  raising  of,  from  the  dead  . . . 

Dough,  making 

Dragoman,  our  old 

Dress  in  the  wilderness 

Dust,  putting,  on  grain 

Edfou 

Egypt,  landing  in 

Egypt,  history  of 

Egypt,  farewell  to 

Egypt,  her  future 

Egyptians,  condition  of 

Egyptian  history  . . 

Egyptian  history,  divisions  of 

Egyptian  church,  excommunication  of 
Egyptian  church,  persecution  of  . . . 

Elephantine,  island  of 

Embalming  the  dead 

Esneh  

Ethiopia  

Extravagant  expenditure  in  churches  . 

Famine,  the 

Famines,  allusions  to 

Famine,  a 279, 

Feast  of  love 

Feast  of  love  in  Coptic  church  . . . . 
Feet-washing  in  Coptic  church  . . . . 


599 


Fellahs,  condition  of  ’ . 167 

First  cataract 271 

Five  kings,  slaughter  of 201 

Frescoes  in  the  catacombs  at  Rome  . . 49 

Funerals  167 

Funeral  rites 186 

Funeral  processions 186,  208,  406 

Gates,  sitting  and  trading  in  the  . . . 570 

Gates,  the  strait M3 

Gebel  et-Tir 192 

Genoa 19,  23 

Genoa  to  New  York 592 

Golden  candlestick 71 

Golden  calf  of  the  Israelites 160 

Goshen,  Land  of hi 

Grand  Gallery 126,  132,  133 

Granite  coffins  at  Sakkara . 159 

Granite  column  with  inscriptions  . . . 279 

Granite  quarries 278 

Granite  temple 138 

Grass  on  the  housetop 482 

Grave  robbing 246 

Greek  church,  baptism  in  the 576 

Greek  church,  feet-washing  in  the  • -577 
Greek  church,  feast  of  love  in  the  . . . 577 
Greek  church,  holy  kiss  in  the  ....  578 
Greek  church,  position  in  Jerusalem  . 579 
Greek  church,  teaching  of  . .....  .580 
Greek  church,  number  of  adherents  . 582 
Greek  and  Latin  church  division  . . . 579 

Grinding  at  a mill 274 

Guide,  an  importunate 24 

Hananeel,  tower  of S&7 

Head  of  Christ,  description  of  by  Len- 

tulus  81 

Hebrew  invasion  of  Canaan  ....  194,  196 

Heliopolis 338 

Herodotus  on  the  Great  Pyramid  . . 123 

Hill  of  the  Jews in 

Homeward  bound 323 

Horseshoe,  finding  a 322 

Hurricane  on  the  Atlantic 593 

Immortality,  Egyptian  belief  in  ....  180 

Inhabitants  of  the  Delta 413 

Inscriptions  in  the  Catacombs  ....  44 

Inscription  of  Damasus 49 

Interview  with  archbishop’s  represent- 
ative   333 

Irrigating,  manner  of 148 

Irrigating  with  a basket 172 


458 

213 

33i 

333 

333 

334 

336 

337 

337 

590 

106 

317 

435 

437 

178 

167 

14 

247 

410 

35° 

352 

68 

87 

114 

1 16 

477 

484 

287 

467 

446 

173 

269 

107 

109 

465 

46; 

151 

253 

253 

332 

332 

276 

184 

267 

285 

75 

144 

190 

280 

41 

336 

334 


6oo 


INDEX. 


Ismailia hi,  422 

Israelites  leave  Egypt 263 

Israelites  in  the  Land  of  Goshen  . . . 363 

Israelites,  return  of,  to  Egypt 374 

Israelites  in  Egypt 387 

Israelites  murmuring  in  the  desert  . . 389 
Israelites  compared  with  Christians  . 390 

Israelites,  murmuring  of 448 

Israelites  at  Rephidim 449 

Israelites  at  Mt.  Sinai 449 

Italian  navy 105 

Jacob,  arrival  of,  in  Egypt 190 

Jacob,  reception  of,  in  Egypt 361 

Jacob  and  Joseph,  meeting  of 366 

Jaffa,  landing  at 466 

Jaffa,  chief  boatman  at 468 

Jaffa,  an  old  city 469 

Jaffa,  improvements  at 471 

Jaffa  and  Jerusalem  Railway 471 

Jaffa  oranges 477 

Jaffa,  commerce  of 477 

Jaffa,  tanneries  at 485 

Jaffa,  market-place  of 486 

Jaffa  Gate,  the 509 

Jebcl  Musa 452 

Jerusalem,  capture  of,  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar   372 

Jerusalem,  arrival  at 503 

Jerusalem,  gates  of 506 

Jerusalem,  streets  of 514 

Jerusalem,  pilgrims  to 519 

Jerusalem,  bazaars  of 521 

Jerusalem,  a new 563 

Jerusalem,  ancient  library  at 578 

Jerusalem,  farewell  to 584 

Jerusalem  to  Jaffa 584 

Jews  a persecuted  people 558 

Jews’  wailing  place 560 

Jews,  future  of 563 

Kahmus  favorite  son  of  Raineses  II  .252 

Kalabshi 290 

King's  Chamber 126,  132,  135 

King’s  Chamber,  coffin  in 135 

Korasko, 299 

Koran,  the 345 

Koran  and  Bible  compared 346 

Koran,  duties  enjoined  by 349 

Koran,  the  text-book 359 

Land  of  Goshen 364,  384 

Land  of  Goshen,  richness  of  soil  ...  388 
Land  of  Goshen,  borders  not  known  . 390 
Land  of  Goshen,  a ride  across  the  . . 392 
Land  of  Goshen,  birds  of  the 392 


Land  of  Goshen,  leaving  the 421 

Law,  place  of  giving 453 

Leaning  tower  at  Pisa 28 

Leaky  roofs 482 

Lentiles 521 

Lepers 531 

Letters  found  at  Memphis 369 

Lotus  plant  in  Egypt 178 

Lud 494 

“ Madame  Nubia  ” 295 

Man,  a sorry 402 

Market-place  at  Assuan 272 

Market,  a village 395 

Marah 428 

Marriage 446 

Melchisedec 126 

Memphis 152 

Menephthah  II 252 

Menephthah  II,  statue  of 255 

Menephthah  II,  death  of  his  son  . . . 257 

Menephthah  II,  humiliation  of  ...  . 263 

Milking  cows  in  street 86 

Miriam’s  song  of  triumph 424 

Missionary  spirit,  the  true 404 

Mission  schools,  American 404 

Mohammedanism,  reason  for  success  of  348 

Mohammedan  worship 350 

Mohammedan  Sabbath 350 

Mohammedan  belief  as  to  women  ...  355 

Mohammedan  justice,  specimen  of  469,  585 

Mohammedans,  manner  of  life  of . . . 359 

Mohammedans,  few  converted  ....  406 

Mohammedan  hour  of  prayer 351 

Monuments  confirm  Scripture  ....  261 

Moslem  religion,  composition  of  . . . 345 

Moslem  devotions 351 

Moslems,  intellectual  condition  of  . . 359 

Moslem  at  prayer '5x7 

Mosque  El  Azhar 357 

Mountains  of  the  Sinaitic  peninsula  . . 449 

Muezzin,  the 351,  517 

Muski,  the  406 

Mt.  Carmel 586 

Naples 86 

New  Testament,  oldest  MS.  of  ...  . 460 

New  York 593 

Nile,  a sketch  of  the .■  ...  143 

Nile,  rise  of 143 

Nile,  overflow  of 145 

Nile,  difficulty  of  navigation  on  . . . . 164 

Nile,  valley  of 164 

Nile,  branches  of 410 


INDEX. 


601 


Nilometer,  the 277 

Novel  way  of  landing 223,423 

Nubia 271,  285 

Nubians  at  home 286 

Obelisk 220 

Obelisk,  an  immense 272 

Obelisks  at  On 325,  341 

Obelisk,  the  lonely 341 

Olivet,  a day  on  . . • • • 533 

Olive  tree,  propagation  of 549 

Olive  oil,  methods  of  obtaining  ....  550 

On,  Moses  educated  at 338 

On,  remains  of 342 

Overthrow  of  Egyptians 264 

Palatine  Hill  31 

Palestine,  cities  of 470 

Palestine,  desolation  of 545 

Papyrus  found  at  Zoan 381 

Papyrus  in  Egypt 178 

Paradise,  the  Mohammedan 349 

Patriarch  of  Greek  church,  visit  to  . . 574 

Paul's  journey  to  Italy 53 

Paul’s  journey  to  Rome 56 

Paul's  friends 58 

Paul  ready  to  be  offered 61 

Paul’s  execution 61 

Pharaoh  of  oppression 182 

Pharaoh,  destruction  of  host  of  ...  . 425 

Phike 277 

Fi-Beseth 366 

Picture,  a great 305 

Pi  thorn 363 

Pithom,  attempt  to  visit 391 

Plain  of  er-Rahah 453 

Plowing  in  Palestine 492 

Polygamy  in  Coptic  church 336 

Pompeii 89 

Pompeii,  baker’s  shop  in 90 

Pompeii,  excavated  streets  of 90 

Pompeii,  form  of  body  preserved  in 

ashes 94 

Pompeii,  morals  of  people  of 97 

Pompeii,  evidences  of  depravity  in  . . 98 

Pompey’s  Pillar 418 

Foor,  home  life  of,  in  Italy 100 

Port  Said 106 

Potteries  at  Kcneh 327 

Potter  at  his  wheel 327 

Praying  on  the  housetop 478 

Prophecy,  fulfillment  of  . . . 178,  325,  566 

Proclaiming  from  housetop 483 

Pursuit  of  Egyptians 263 


Puteoli,  Paul’s  landing-place 53 

Pyramids,  visit  to 120 

Pyramids  at  Sakkara 161 

Pyramids  as  tombs  . 1S6 

Pyramid,  the  Great 120 

Pyramid,  the  Great,  entrance  to  . . . 133 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  meaning  of  . . . 125 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  purpose  of  . . . .127 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  climbing  of  . . . 128 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  view  from  top  ol  . r3o 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  interior  of  ...  . 132 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  measurements  of  132 
Pyramid,  the  Great,  when  built  ....  123 

Quarries  at  Assuan 272 

Queen’s  Chamber 132 

Raameses 363 

Railway  from  Haifa  to  Damascus  . . . 476 

Raising  water  with  a basket 396 

Rameses  II,  statue  of 154,  224 

Rameses  II 233,  300 

Rameses  II,  finding  body  of 236 

Rameses  II,  unwrapping  mummy  of  . 243 
Rameses  II,  appearance  of  body  of . .243 
Rameses  II,  of  Assyrian  extraction  . . 248 

Rameses  II,  his  family 252 

Rameses  II,  statue  of,  at  Abou  Simbel  301 
Rameses  II,  picture  glorifying  ....  306 
Rameses  II  in  the  land  of  Tah  . . . .313 

Rameses  II  in  battle 314 

Rameses  II,  statue  of  at  Zoan 382 

Ramleh 495 

Ras  Sufsafch 452 

Ras  Sufsafeh,  the  mount  of  the  law  . . 453 

Ras  Sufsafeh,  ascent  of 453 

Ras  Sufsafeh,  view  from  top  of  ...  . 454 

Red  Sea,  passage  through 264 

Red  Sea,  the 424 

Red  Sea,  coral  of 433 

Religion  of  inhabitants  of  the  wil-  . . 

derness  447 

Ride  on  the  desert 398 

Ride  through  a marsh 401 

Rock  of  Gibraltar 17 

Rome 30 

Rome  again 592 

Sacred  wolf,  tombs  of 208 

Saft  el-IIenneh 371 

Sais,  or  outrunners 115 

Sakka,  or  water-carrier 115 

Sakka,  the 409 

Sakkara 137 

Sakkieh 245,  172,  284.  4*2 

Samson  and  uie  ruxes 496 


602 


INDEX. 


Sand-storm 

Sarras ' ‘ . 

Scarab  

School  at  On 

Schoolmaster  in  Egypt 

Sea  voyages  

Second  cataract 

Sehel,  island  of 

Serapeum 

Scti  Mcnephthah 

Seti  Menephthah,  statue  of 

Seven  Churches  in  Asia 

Seven  Ruins,  the 

Shaduf,  fathers  of 

Shaduf,  the 145,  172,  2S4, 

Sharon,  plain  of 

Shepherds  of  Palestine 

Ship’s  engines 

Shishak 221, 

Simon  the  tanner,  house  of 

Sinai 161, 

Sinai,  ascent  of 

Sinai,  hermits  of 

Sleeping-places 

Soldiers 

Song  of  deliverance 

Southern  Cross,  the 

Spain,  coast  of 

Sphinx,  the 

Starting  point  of  the  Israelites  .... 

Statue  of  Raineses’  queen 

Steam  not  used  to  raise  water 

Step  Pyramid 

Stocking  a ship 

Store  chambers  at  Pithom 

Stromboli 

St.  Peter’s 

St.  Peter,  statue  of 

St.  Paul’s  Cathedral 

Students,  life  of,  at  Cairo 

Succotli 

Suez  Canal no, 

Suez  

Suez,  leaving 

Sugar  factory  at  Maghaghah 

Sycamore  tree,  an  old 

Syene  

Table  of  showbread 

Tahpanhes 

Tahpanhes,  excavations  at 

I ahpanhes,  clay  cylinder  at 

Tahpanhes,  decoration  of 

Tahpanhes,  articles  found  at 


Tanta,  fairs  of . . . . . 411 

Tarsus 5S8 

Teaching  in  Cairo 357 

Teachers,  life  of . . . 357,  359 

Tell  el  Amarna 193 

Tell  el  Amarna  Tablets  ........  193 

Tell  el  Amarna  Tablets,  date  of  . . . .195 
Tell  el  Amarna  Tablets,  translation  of . 196 

Tell  el  Ilesy  Tablets 203 

Tell  el  Yehudiyeh 419 

Temples  of  Egypt 180 

Temple  of  Tih 161 

Temple  of  Seti  I 213 

TempleofRameses.il 213 

Temple  of  Karnac  220 

Temple  at  Esneh 267 

Temple  at  Edfou 269 

Temple  at  Kalabslii  292 

Temple  at  Kalabslii,  inscriptions  in  . 292 

Temple  at  Dekkeh 294 

Temples  of  Abou  Simbel 300, 304 

Temples  of  Abou  Simbel,  visit  to  . . . 309 
Temple,  smaller,  at  Abou  Simbel  . . .311 

Temple  of  Abahudah 318 

Temple  of  the  Sun  at  On 338 

Temple  of  Turn  at  Pithom 365 

Thebes 215 

Thebes,  ruins  of 21S 

Three  Taverns 51.  55 

Tischendorf’s  search  and  discovery  . . 459 

Titus 6S 

Tombs,  interest  of 158 

Tombs  of  Egypt 180 

Tombs,  construction  of 182 

Tombs,  contents  of 1S1 

Tombs,  decorations  of 18S 

Tombs,  description  of  rock-cut  ....  189 

Tombs  of  Ameni 190 

Tombs  of  the  Kings 223 

Tombs  of  the  Kings,  decorations  of . . 226 

Tombs,  pillaging  of 246 

Travelers,  usual  route  of 409 

Trees  of  Egypt 178 

Tryphena  and  Tryphosa 6; 

Turkish  justice,  illustration  of  ....  5S5 

Tyre,  destruction  of 5S7 

University  at  Cairo . 356, 357 

Valley  of  the  Tombs 224 

Veiling  the  face 320 

Vesuvius 87 

Vesuvius,  climbing  to  crater  of  ....  88 

Vesuvius,  explosion  at 89 

Vesuvius,  last  sight  of 105 


. 211 

■ 320 

. 208 

•338 

■ 174 

. 12 

■ 321 

■ 279 

. 15S 

. 260 

. 261 

. 589 

. 502 

149 

412 

496 

499 

21 

365 

477 

451 

456 

459 

40 

282 

425 

3°9 

18 

137 

436 

303 

150 

161 

19 

367 

106 

72 

74 

74 

357 

366 

422 

422 

462 

192 

342 

272 

7i 

372 

375 

377 

379 

379 


INDEX. 


603 


Virtue  and  vice  contrasted  . . 

Wady  Haifa 

Wady  Haifa,  garrison  at  . . . 

Wages  in  Italy  .... 

Wages  in  Palestine 

Wall  tablets  at  Mt.  Silsilis  . . 

Water-carriers  . . . 

Wedding  procession  . ...... 

Wells  of  Moses,  trip  to  . . . 

Wells  of  Moses 

Wilderness,  the  Sinaitic  . . . 
Wilderness,  inhabitants  of  . 

Wine  presses,  the 

Women,  condition  of,  in  Italy 
Women,  degradation  of . . . 
Zimpel,  Charles 


• 423 

• 427 

• 443 

• 445 

• 571 
. 102 
•357 

• 473 


Zoan,  objects  found  at  ruins  of  ....  380 


DS48.M647 

Wanderings  in  Bible  lands:  notes  ot 


Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1 1012  00022  6425 


